People with severe asthma usually need to use regular inhaled medicines to keep their symptoms under control. This helps to maintain their quality of life and reduces their risk of having an asthma flare-up.   Take the asthma control questionnaire The Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) lists a combination preventer inhaler for use by people with severe asthma called Trimbow. Trimbow contains 3 medicines in the one puffer (inhaler). Read more on this page so you can know your options when talking about your asthma with your doctor.  TRIMBOW is used to pre ..read more

  If you or your child rely on Symbicort Rapihaler 50/3 (budesonide/formoterol) as your asthma preventer, you might be surprised to learn that this specific strength is being discontinued in Australia. This means it will no longer be available to buy, once stocks are used up. Symbicort Rapihaler 50/3 is a low-strength combination preventer. It contains 50 micrograms of an inhaled steroid called budesonide- this is the preventer part. The other part is 3 micrograms of formoterol, a long-acting reliever. As a low-strength option, this may affect kids who need a combination preventer, as w ..read more

  The Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) has recently approved the listing of Bufomix Easyhaler and Salflumix Easyhaler for the maintenance treatment of asthma and COPD. They are available and subsidised by the Australian government with a prescription for people aged 12 and up.   Bufomix and Salflumix Easyhaler bring a new device option for people with asthma who are currently prescribed a budesonide/formoterol or fluticasone/salmeterol combination preventer.  What’s New?  The Easyhaler device (which contains the dry powder medicine inside) is what’s new ..read more

  We’re excited to share the heartwarming story of Magnus and Angus, two amazing Year 4 students from St Anthony’s primary school in Queensland! Angus, who lives with severe asthma and his friend Magnus wanted to raise awareness and funds for Asthma Australia. With the support of their families and school leadership team, they organised an Author’s Reading session to introduce their comic books: ‘The Origin of Silly Sausage’ and ‘The Origin of Sir Boxer Pants’.  The response from the St Anthony’s community was amazing! Students and staff eagerly donated $1 or more to get their hands ..read more

  The most common trigger for asthma flare-ups in Australia is being sick with a respiratory infection like a cold or flu and other viruses. This includes asthma attacks bad enough to need a hospital visit. So it is important to protect against respiratory infections, by practising good hygiene (like handwashing and covering your coughs), staying home when sick, getting vaccinated and having an asthma review. In adults, the most common time to have your asthma triggered by a virus is over winter. That’s why the ideal time to get your flu vaccine is before winter hits. There are many vacc ..read more

  We spend a lot of time inside our homes and many of us may be unaware of the allergens and pollutants we live with. In fact, our Homes, Health and Asthma Report shows that 3 in 10 people get worse allergy and asthma symptoms while at home. With the cost of living stretching everyone’s dollar, it’s no surprise that cost is a major barrier to making homes healthier. This is why we ran the 2023 Asthma Australia Healthy Homes Competition, giving away over $10,000 worth of appliances and products to improve home health for two lucky people – a person who is renting and a home owner. We’d lik ..read more

  Your inhaler sends your asthma medicines straight into your lungs. So it’s no surprise that keeping it clean should be a big part of your asthma management routine. Types of inhalers need to be cleaned in their own ways. Your puffer or inhaler will come with a guide in the package. It’s always best to check the insert for any instructions. Here is a guide for the main types of puffers or inhalers. If you aren’t sure which sort of puffer or inhaler you have, ask your pharmacist. Puffers A puffer is what some people call a ‘pressurised metered dose inhaler’ or pMDI for short. This is one ..read more

  When Julie’s son Matthew died at age 34 due to asthma in April 2013, she hoped no other family would have to go through the same experience. By championing Matty’s legacy and raising much-needed money for asthma education and research, Julie and her family hope to save others.    It all started with one question: “Do you think we could do something to honour Matty’s memory?” With that, Julie and her family started the Matty34 Legacy.  “Matty was a keen sportsman and was very involved with the baseball community both in Bendigo and Melbourne. We raise funds for Asthma Australia & awa ..read more

  Making a safe and healthy environment for students and staff is a top priority for any school. One piece of the puzzle often overlooked is indoor air quality. Air pollution can lead to asthma flare-ups, allergic reactions and respiratory infections. In this blog, we’ll explore some steps schools can take to maintain clean air and promote the well-being of everyone on campus.  Controlling Sources of Pollution: Dust, mold and allergens contribute to unhealthy air, and in turn cause asthma flare-ups. Regular cleaning routines, the use of low-chemical products and quick profession ..read more

  The manufacturer of Ventolin (salbutamol) nebules, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has informed us that they are anticipating a temporary supply outage of Ventolin nebules 2.5mg/2.5mL.   There are no temporary supply outage issues with Ventolin puffers/inhalers or Ventolin nebules 5mg/2.5mL. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Which medicine is affected?    Ventolin nebules 2.5mg/2.5mL.  How long will the supply outage last?  Expected until Thursday 1 August 2024.   What is this medicine used for?  Sometimes used to treat asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive P ..read more