Currently, MART is only licensed for use with budesonide/formoterol or beclometasone/formoterol inhalers and not all combination products are licensed for MART. Symbicort is licensed from age 12 for MART, whilst all the others (Fostair, DuoResp and Fobumix) are licensed for adults aged 18 and above. Each brand is available in different strengths and not all are licensed for MART, so the manufacturer’s information should be checked before prescribing. 

The maximum dose also varies between each device. The appropriate combination inhaler should be prescribed by brand name to ensure the patient receives the correct device. Licenses can change from time to time so pharmacy teams should check that advice is up to date using the medicine’s current SPC. 

People using a MART regime for their asthma do not require a SABA inhaler as the combination inhaler acts as both the preventer and reliever inhaler. This means they need a specifically-tailored personalised asthma action plan (PAAP) from their GP or asthma nurse advising them on how to use their inhaler if they experience asthma symptoms. MART regime PAAPs can be downloaded for specific devices from the relevant websites. Do not assume that a person is using MART if they are not prescribed a SABA, as the combination inhalers can be used as standard maintenance therapy.

Once you've completed this module, move onto:
Part four: Monitoring asthma
But be sure to click next to complete this module first.