BRIEF — US nod for pediatric use of Arnuity Ellipta

UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of Arnuity Ellipta (fluticasone furoate), a once-daily inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) medicine for the maintenance treatment of asthma in children from five to 11 years.

This makes Arnuity one of the few once-daily treatments for asthma licenced in the USA in this younger age group, where there remains a significant need for convenient and effective treatment options.

Hal Barron, chief scientific officer and president of R&D at GSK, said “Despite the challenges of running clinical studies in this age group, we felt it was important to conduct a study to confirm the benefit of Arnuity in improving lung function in younger children with asthma – giving doctors confidence when choosing to prescribe this treatment for children as young as five years old.”

Arnuity Ellipta was approved in the USA in August 2014 for the maintenance treatment of asthma in patients aged 12 years and older.