Approval in Baltics for AirFluSal Forspiro

Vectura Group has announced that its partner Sandoz has been granted marketing authorisation by the pharmaceutical regulatory authorities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for AirFluSal Forspiro, an innovative new inhaler for patients with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

These latest marketing authorisations by the three Baltic states, which are members of the European Union (EU), mean that AirFluSal Forspiro has now been approved in a total of 13 European countries, as well as South Korea and Mexico. The product has been launched in five countries to date, including South Korea.

The three Baltic states all approved AirFluSal Forspiro in the 50–250 and 50–500 µg dosage forms.

AirFluSal Forspiro offers the proven combination of salmeterol (a long-acting inhaled beta-2 agonist) and fluticasone propionate (an inhaled corticosteroid) in an innovative new device. The product's safety, efficacy and equivalence have been proven in multiple clinical trials.

Vectura initially developed the VR315 product and created the design of the innovative inhaler, before licensing the asset to Sandoz in 2006. It was subsequently developed in collaboration with Vectura as AirFluSal Forspiro by Aeropharm GmbH in Rudolstadt, Germany, Sandoz's global respiratory Center of Excellence. The innovative and intuitive-to-use design of the inhaler was awarded the Red Dot Product Design award in 2011, an internationally recognised quality seal awarded by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany.

The device includes multiple feedback mechanisms such as visual control features, which help reassure the patient about dosing, a simple lever arm to load the dose, and clear and accurate feedback on remaining available doses.