| Asthma

Advair HFA vs Alvesco

Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for asthma.
Deep comparison between: Advair Hfa vs Alvesco with Prescriber.AI
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Safety signalsAlvesco has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Advair Hfa based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Alvesco but not Advair Hfa, including UnitedHealthcare
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Advair Hfa
Alvesco
At A Glance
Oral inhalation
Twice daily
ICS/LABA combination
Oral inhalation
Twice daily
Inhaled corticosteroid
Indications
  • Asthma
  • Asthma
Dosing
Asthma 2 oral inhalations (45 mcg/21 mcg, 115 mcg/21 mcg, or 230 mcg/21 mcg) twice daily approximately 12 hours apart; starting strength based on asthma severity; maximum 2 inhalations of 230 mcg/21 mcg twice daily.
Asthma 80 mcg twice daily by oral inhalation as starting dose for patients on bronchodilators alone or inhaled corticosteroids, up to 320 mcg twice daily; patients previously on oral corticosteroids start at 320 mcg twice daily (maximum).
Contraindications
  • Primary treatment of status asthmaticus or other acute episodes of asthma where intensive measures are required
  • Hypersensitivity to any ingredient of ADVAIR HFA
  • Primary treatment of status asthmaticus or other acute episodes of asthma where intensive measures are required
  • Known hypersensitivity to ciclesonide or any ingredient of ALVESCO
Adverse Reactions
Most common (>=3%) Upper respiratory tract infection, throat irritation, headache, nausea and vomiting, musculoskeletal pain, upper respiratory inflammation, viral respiratory infection, hoarseness/dysphonia, dizziness, viral gastrointestinal infection, gastrointestinal signs and symptoms, muscle pain
Serious Serious asthma-related events (hospitalizations, intubations, death), oropharyngeal candidiasis, pneumonia in COPD patients, immunosuppression and risk of infections, hypercorticism and adrenal suppression, cardiovascular and CNS effects, reduction in bone mineral density, growth effects, glaucoma and cataracts
Postmarketing Arrhythmias, hypertension, ventricular tachycardia, Cushing's syndrome, osteoporosis, cataracts, glaucoma, anaphylaxis, esophageal candidiasis, paradoxical bronchospasm, agitation, depression
Most common (>=3%) Headache, nasopharyngitis, sinusitis, pharyngolaryngeal pain, upper respiratory infection, arthralgia, nasal congestion, pain in extremity, back pain
Serious Oropharyngeal candidiasis, immunosuppression and risk of infections, hypercorticism, adrenal suppression, reduction in bone mineral density, growth effects in pediatric patients, glaucoma, cataracts
Postmarketing Immediate or delayed hypersensitivity reactions including angioedema with swelling of lips, tongue, and pharynx
Pharmacology
ADVAIR HFA combines fluticasone propionate, a synthetic trifluorinated corticosteroid with broad anti-inflammatory activity via glucocorticoid receptor binding, and salmeterol, a selective long-acting beta2-adrenoceptor agonist (LABA) that relaxes bronchial smooth muscle by stimulating adenyl cyclase to increase cyclic AMP levels.
Ciclesonide is an inhaled corticosteroid prodrug hydrolyzed by esterases to its active metabolite des-ciclesonide, which binds glucocorticoid receptors with 120-fold greater affinity than the parent compound and exerts broad anti-inflammatory activity against mast cells, eosinophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils involved in the asthmatic response.
Enter your patient's insuranceCheck specific coverage details for your patient.
Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Advair Hfa
  • Covered on 5 commercial plans
  • PA (9/12) · Step Therapy (5/12) · Qty limit (12/12)
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Alvesco
  • Covered on 5 commercial plans
  • PA (9/12) · Step Therapy (5/12) · Qty limit (9/12)
View full coverage details ›
UnitedHealthcare
Advair Hfa
  • Covered on 4 commercial plans
  • PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (1/8) · Qty limit (5/8)
View full coverage details ›
Alvesco
  • Covered on 4 commercial plans
  • PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (3/8) · Qty limit (3/8)
View full coverage details ›
Humana
Advair Hfa
  • Covered on 0 commercial plans
  • PA (0/3) · Step Therapy (0/3) · Qty limit (3/3)
View full coverage details ›
Alvesco
  • Covered on 0 commercial plans
  • PA (1/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (3/3)
View full coverage details ›
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
No savings programs available for Advair Hfa.
No savings programs available for Alvesco.
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Advair HfaView full Advair Hfa profile
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Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.