Long-Term Safety of a Non-Chlorofluorocarbon- Containing Triamcinolone Acetonide Inhalation Aerosol in Patients with Asthma

In response to environmental concerns regarding chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), two new triamcinolone acetonide (TAA) inhalation aerosol (Azmacort Inhalation Aerosol) formulations have been developed using a more environmentally favorable propellant, HFA-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane). This multicenter, open-label study evaluated the safety of switching asthma patients from TAA-CFC to one of two TAA-HFA formulations. After a 2- or 4-week baseline period during which patients received only CFC-containing TAA Inhaler, 552 patients were randomized to receive TAA-HFA 75 or 225 μg for 6 or 12 months. A total of 493 patients completed treatment. Seven patients discontinued because of adverse events and two because of ineffective asthma control. The incidence of adverse events was similar in the two treatment groups, and most events were mild to moderate in severity and were not considered related to study medication. No clinically relevant suppression of the hypophyseal-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis was observed. Pulmonary function tests were not adversely affected by use of either study medication, and improvements were noted in forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV₁) and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF_25%-75%) throughout the course of treatment. This study confirms that TAA-HFA provides effective, long-term asthma control and can safely be substituted for the currently marketed CFC-containing TAA product.