Giving salmeterol/fluticasone propionate is better than doubling the dose of fluticasone propionate in children with asthma uncontrolled by fluticasone propionate alone, according to a study presented at the XXVI Congress of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) in Gteborg, Sweden.

The multicentre, double-blind, parallel-group study demonstrated the benefits of salmeterol/fluticasone over fluticasone propionate in achieving and maintaining asthma control according to the stringent definition of the GINA guidelines.

"The results of this study confirm the recommendation of the international Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines that children with asthma uncontrolled by low-dose fluticasone propionate alone should be given combination therapy in preference to doubling the dose of the inhaled corticosteroid in order to achieve and maintain asthma control," said Professor Jacques de Blic, Hpital des Enfants Malades, Paris.