Asthma drugs to carry new warnings

TWO of GlaxoSmithKline's blockbuster drugs were last night ordered to carry new health warnings. There were fears this could hit sales of its asthma drugs, Serevent and Advair.

The order came from US watchdog the Food and Drug Administration. The drugs must now carry a small boxed warning. This alerts people to a small increase in deaths and asthma attacks compared with those taking placebos, following a recent study.

The FDA still considers treatment with the drugs more beneficial than potentially harmful. The market had been braced for some labelling changes.

Both drugs contain salmeterol, which relaxes the bronchial muscles and eases breathing.

Glaxo is the global leader in respiratory drugs. Advair and Serevent's sales are nearly £3bn.

Advair - sold in the UK as Seretide - is the firm's second-largest product, with sales nearly doubling last year. Serevent was launched in the US in 1994.

The FDA's action is bound to be watched closely by UK and European drug watchdogs.

In the UK, 18m working days are lost each year because of asthma attacks, at an estimated cost of £1.4bn.

Glaxo said: 'We have been working closely with the FDA. We do not anticipate any significant negative impact on the use of Serevent or Advair.'