Skip to content

Fluticasone

Fluticasone propionate is a corticosteroid that calms inflammation in the airways and in the nasal passages. Inhaled, it acts inside the lungs, and it is paired with the bronchodilator salmeterol in combination inhalers. A nasal spray form also exists for nasal symptoms.

Medicines containing Fluticasone

Seroflo Inhaler

Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

25/125 · 25/250mcg

Seroflo Inhaler combines fluticasone and salmeterol in a pressurised inhaler for asthma and COPD. You can choose from several strengths and pack sizes. You see the price per inhaler for each option.

FromUS$34.00/ inhalerView

Fluticasone + Salmeterol

Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

250/50 · 500/50mcg

Fluticasone with salmeterol is an inhaler for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. You can choose from multiple strengths and pack sizes. Each option lists its price per inhaler.

FromUS$42.78/ inhalerView

Key points

  • Inhaled fluticasone propionate reaches the bloodstream at an absolute bioavailability of about 5 to 11% of the nominal dose, with the figure depending on the inhalation device used.
  • Fluticasone propionate is a substrate of CYP3A4, and the 17β-carboxylic acid derivative formed by that pathway is the only metabolite found circulating.
  • Chickenpox and measles can run a more serious or even fatal course in susceptible children or adults using corticosteroids, so people who have not had these illnesses or been properly immunised should take particular care to avoid exposure.

What it is used for

Combined with salmeterol, inhaled fluticasone is used in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Used regularly, it lowers symptoms and exacerbations. Nasal formulations are used for nasal symptoms, including Allergic Rhinitis.

How it works

Given by inhalation, fluticasone propionate produces a glucocorticoid anti-inflammatory action within the lungs, reducing the symptoms and exacerbations of asthma with fewer adverse effects than corticosteroids taken systemically. Damping the inflammatory response eases swelling and mucus in the airways or nasal lining. It is not an inhaler meant for immediate symptom relief; regular daily use is needed to build its effect.

Forms and brands

Two inhalers combine fluticasone with salmeterol: the Seroflo Inhaler at 25/125 and 25/250 mcg, and Fluticasone + Salmeterol at 250/50 and 500/50 mcg, both within Respiratory Health. Fluticasone propionate is also manufactured as a nasal spray. Orders are shipped from pharmacy partners in India to Malaysia in discreet packaging.

Safety

At higher than recommended intranasal doses, or at recommended doses in susceptible people, systemic corticosteroid effects such as hypercorticism and adrenal suppression may appear. The spray is then withdrawn slowly, in line with the way oral corticosteroid therapy is stopped; replacing a systemic corticosteroid with a topical one can itself be accompanied by signs of adrenal insufficiency.

Intranasal corticosteroids may slow growth velocity in children, so growth should be monitored routinely and the dose titrated to the lowest amount that controls symptoms. Local irritation, such as a sore throat or dry nasal passages, can occur, and poor inhaler technique raises the risk of a localised fungal infection in the mouth or throat. Because fluticasone propionate is handled by the CYP3A4 enzyme, a prescriber should review the full list of medicines you take.

What the sources say

  • Fluticasone propionate is a synthetic trifluorinated corticosteroid with anti-inflammatory activity (DailyMed).
  • As a nasal spray it is indicated for the nasal symptoms of perennial nonallergic rhinitis in adults and children aged 4 years and older (DailyMed).
  • In the Seretide Evohaler the fluticasone propionate suspension is released using norflurane (HFA 134a) as the pressurised propellant (EMC).

Further reading

Last updated