QVAR (beclomethasone dipropionate HFA) Inhalation Aerosol

ACHIEVE ASTHMA CONTROL
WITH QVAR®

Patient Education

Help your patients use QVAR® the right way.

Download the patient instruction sheet and video.

Treat the Large and Small Airways

QVAR® is an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) indicated for patients with persistent asthma.1 QVAR® is a small-particle ICS— mean particle size is 1.1µm—that reaches and treats chronic inflammation in both the large and small airways.2-4

The small airways in the lungs can be sites of chronic inflammation in patients with persistent asthma.2 If untreated, they may undergo irreversible structural changes.2,5 Treating inflammation in the small airways may improve lung function and contribute to asthma control.2

Precise Asthma Control With QVAR®

QVAR® is distributed evenly through large and small airways,* achieving lung deposition of up to 58%.3 Even patients with poor inhaler technique can achieve more than 30% lung deposition.3

Large-particle ICS formulations are less likely to reach and treat the small airways, where underlying chronic inflammation may persist.2,6-8 To see how lung deposition with QVAR® compares with other inhaled controller medications, click the image below.

Particle Size Chart

Discover the QVAR® Difference

QVAR® is the only small-particle ICS indicated for children as young as 5 years old.1,9 It also has a low rate of oropharyngeal side effects,1,9 can be used with or without a spacer,1 and is covered by most insurance plans10—making it a good choice for a wide range of patients.

QVAR® (beclomethasone dipropionate HFA) Inhalation Aerosol is indicated in the maintenance treatment of asthma as prophylactic therapy in patients 5 years of age or older. QVAR® is also indicated for asthma patients who require systemic corticosteroid administration, where adding QVAR® may reduce or eliminate the need for systemic corticosteroids.

Important Safety Information

  • QVAR® is not a bronchodilator and is not indicated for relief of acute bronchospasm
  • Common side effects associated with the use of QVAR® and placebo in clinical trials include, but are not limited to, headache (12% and 9%, respectively) and pharyngitis (8% and 4%, respectively)
CAUTION: Adrenal insufficiency may occur when transferring patients from systemic steroids (see WARNINGS, Prescribing Information).
  • A reduction in growth velocity in growing children and teenagers may occur as a result of inadequate control of chronic diseases such as asthma or from use of corticosteroids for treatment

* The relationship of particle size to clinical efficacy is unknown.

The brands listed are the registered trademarks of their respective owners.

References

  1. QVAR® (beclomethasone dipropionate HFA) Prescribing Information. Teva Respiratory, LLC; 2010.
  2. Martin RJ. Therapeutic significance of distal airway inflammation in asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunology. 2002; 109(2):S447-S460.
  3. Leach CL. Effect of formulation parameters on hydrofluoroalkane-beclomethasone dipropionate drug deposition in humans. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999;104:S250-S252.
  4. Leach C, Colice GL, Luskin A. Particle size of inhaled corticosteroids: does it matter? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009;124:S88-S93.
  5. Hyde DM, Hamid Q, Irvin CG. Anatomy, pathology, and physiology of the tracheobronchial tree: emphasis on the distal airways. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009;124(6 Suppl):S72-77.
  6. Cripps A, Riebe M, Schulze M, Woodhouse R. Pharmaceutical transition to non-CFC pressurized metered dose inhalers. Respir Med. 2000;94(suppl B):S3-S9.
  7. Leach CL, Davidson PJ, Hasselquist BE, Boudreau RJ. Lung deposition of hydrofluoroalkane-134a beclomethasone is greater than that of chlorofluorocarbon fluticasone and chlorofluorocarbon beclomethasone: a cross-over study in healthy volunteers. Chest. 2002;122:510-516.
  8. Gelfand EW, Kraft M. The importance and features of the distal airways in children and adults. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Dec;124(6 Suppl):S84-7.
  9. Thompson PJ, Davies RJ, Young WF, Grossman AB, Donnell D. Safety of hydrofluoroalkane-134a beclomethasone dipropionate extrafine aerosol. Respir Med. 1998;92 Suppl A:33-39.
  10. Fingertip Formulary, LLC. QVAR® and Competitors Lives Covered. (July 2011 data). Glen Rock, NJ: Fingertip Formulary, LLC; 2011.
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