Fluticasone Furoate-Umeclidinium-Vilanterol

What Is Fluticasone Furoate-Umeclidinium-Vilanterol?

Fluticasone furoate-umeclidinium-vilanterol is a once-daily inhaled maintenance medicine that combines three active ingredients in one inhaler. It is used to help control long-term breathing problems. It is not a rescue inhaler and does not relieve sudden breathing trouble.

Drug Class

The three ingredients belong to three different groups of medicines:

• Fluticasone furoate: an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) that reduces swelling and irritation in the airways
• Umeclidinium: a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), a type of bronchodilator that helps keep the airway muscles relaxed
• Vilanterol: a long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA), another type of bronchodilator that helps open the airways

Together, this combination is often called “triple therapy.”

Approved and Common Uses

In the United States, the FDA has approved this combination for:

• Long-term, once-daily maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema
• Long-term, once-daily maintenance treatment of asthma in adults 18 years and older

It is typically prescribed for people whose symptoms are not well controlled with one or two inhaled medicines. Approved uses can differ by country, so check the label for your region.

Available Forms and Strengths

This medicine is a dry powder inhaler (often called an Ellipta inhaler). Each inhalation contains:

• 100 mcg fluticasone furoate / 62.5 mcg umeclidinium / 25 mcg vilanterol
• 200 mcg fluticasone furoate / 62.5 mcg umeclidinium / 25 mcg vilanterol

Inhalers usually contain 30 doses, and some institutional packs contain 14 doses. Not all strengths are approved for every condition or in every country.

What Is the Recommended Dosage of Fluticasone Furoate-Umeclidinium-Vilanterol?

The right dose is set by a licensed medical specialist. It depends on the person and the condition being treated.

Factors That Affect Dosing

• Condition: COPD and asthma may use different strengths
• Severity and symptom control: how often symptoms or flare-ups occur
• Age: the medicine is approved only for adults
• Other health conditions: such as heart disease, liver disease, or eye conditions
• Other medicines: some can raise the level of the inhaled steroid or vilanterol in the body

Important Dosing Guidance

• This medicine is taken by inhalation once a day, at about the same time each day.
• Use only the strength and number of inhalations your specialist prescribed. Taking extra doses can raise the risk of side effects, including heart-related effects.
• Do not use it more often than directed, and do not use it with other medicines that contain a long-acting bronchodilator unless your specialist advises it.
• This inhaler does not work fast enough to treat sudden shortness of breath. Keep a prescribed rescue inhaler available and use it as directed.
• Rinse your mouth with water after each use and spit it out. Do not swallow the water. This helps lower the risk of mouth and throat infections.
• Your specialist or pharmacist can show you how to use the device correctly.

This guide does not replace your prescribing instructions.

How Fluticasone Furoate-Umeclidinium-Vilanterol Works

In COPD and asthma, the airways can become inflamed, narrowed, and full of mucus. The three ingredients work in different ways:

• Fluticasone furoate calms inflammation in the airway lining.
• Umeclidinium blocks signals that tighten the airway muscles, which helps keep the airways more open.
• Vilanterol relaxes the muscles around the airways, which also helps them stay open.

This medicine helps manage and reduce symptoms and may lower the chance of flare-ups. It does not cure COPD or asthma, and it does not work as a rescue medicine. Benefits depend on taking it regularly as prescribed.

Is a Prescription Required to Buy Fluticasone Furoate-Umeclidinium-Vilanterol Online?

Yes. In the United States and most other countries, this medicine is available by prescription only.

Talk to the Right Specialist First

Before starting this medicine, consult a licensed medical specialist, such as:

• A pulmonologist (lung specialist)
• An allergist or immunologist for asthma care
• A primary care physician who manages long-term breathing conditions

A proper evaluation, often including a breathing test (spirometry), is important to confirm the diagnosis and choose the right treatment.

Buying Safely

• Fill prescriptions only through licensed, regulated pharmacies.
• Be careful of websites that offer inhalers without a prescription or at unusually low prices.
• Counterfeit or tampered inhalers may contain the wrong amount of medicine or other ingredients.
• Check that the packaging is sealed and has a visible expiry date and dose counter.
• Do not use products meant for animals or products not intended for your region.

Side Effects of Fluticasone Furoate-Umeclidinium-Vilanterol

Many people tolerate this medicine well, but side effects can occur.

Common Side Effects

• Headache
• Cough
• Sore throat or throat irritation
• Runny nose, stuffy nose, or upper respiratory infection
• Back pain or joint pain
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Change in taste
• Mouth or throat thrush (a fungal infection with white patches)
• Hoarse voice

Rinsing your mouth after each use can help reduce thrush and hoarseness.

Serious Side Effects

Serious problems are less common. Contact your doctor or get emergency help right away if you notice:

• Sudden wheezing, chest tightness, or worse breathing right after using the inhaler (paradoxical bronchospasm). Use your rescue inhaler and seek emergency care.
• Signs of an allergic reaction: rash, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or trouble breathing
• Signs of pneumonia: increased cough, change in mucus color, fever, chills, or more shortness of breath (people with COPD have a higher risk of pneumonia with inhaled steroids)
• Chest pain, a fast or irregular heartbeat, or a pounding heart
• New or worse eye pain, blurred vision, halos around lights, or red eyes (possible narrow-angle glaucoma)
• Trouble passing urine, painful urination, or a weak stream
• Signs of low potassium or high blood sugar, such as muscle cramps, weakness, extreme thirst, or frequent urination
• Signs of low adrenal function, such as unusual tiredness, weakness, nausea, or dizziness
• Signs of infection that do not go away

This is not a complete list. Read the leaflet that comes with your inhaler and report unusual symptoms to your healthcare team.

Drug Interactions

This medicine can interact with other products, so always check before adding anything new.

Medicines to Be Careful With

• Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors, such as ritonavir, cobicistat-containing medicines, ketoconazole, itraconazole, and clarithromycin, can increase the amount of the inhaled steroid and vilanterol in the body and raise the risk of side effects.
• Other long-acting beta2-agonists or combination inhalers: using more than one can add up and increase heart-related side effects.
• Other anticholinergic (antimuscarinic) medicines, including some inhalers and some bladder, stomach, or allergy medicines: using them together may add to side effects such as dry mouth, constipation, urine retention, or eye pressure.
• Beta-blockers (for blood pressure or heart conditions, and some eye drops): these can weaken the effect of the medicine and may cause breathing problems.
• Water pills (non-potassium-sparing diuretics): may lower potassium levels, especially along with vilanterol.
• Certain antidepressants (MAOIs, tricyclics) and other medicines that affect the heart rhythm: may increase heart-related effects.

Over-the-Counter Products

Check with a pharmacist before using decongestants, cold remedies, or stimulant-containing products, since some can raise heart rate or blood pressure.

Supplements and Herbal Products

Some herbal or stimulant-type supplements can affect the heart or interact with medicines. Include them in your list.

What You Should Do

Give your licensed medical specialist and pharmacist a complete list of everything you take, including prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, supplements, and herbal products.

Safety & Important Considerations

Not for Sudden Breathing Problems

This medicine is for daily maintenance only. If your breathing suddenly gets worse, use your rescue inhaler as directed and seek urgent medical care if it does not help. Tell your doctor if you need your rescue inhaler more often than usual.

Asthma and Long-Acting Bronchodilators

Long-acting beta2-agonists used alone to treat asthma raise the risk of serious asthma-related problems. In this medicine, the beta2-agonist is combined with an inhaled steroid. It should be used only as prescribed.

Heart Conditions and Blood Pressure

People with heart disease, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, or seizure disorders should talk to their doctor before use. Vilanterol can affect heart rate and blood pressure.

Eye, Bladder, and Prostate Concerns

Umeclidinium may worsen narrow-angle glaucoma or difficulty urinating, particularly in men with an enlarged prostate or bladder-neck problems. Inhaled steroids may also be linked to cataracts or raised eye pressure over time.

Immune System and Infections

Inhaled steroids can lower resistance to some infections. Tell your doctor if you have, or have been exposed to, tuberculosis, chickenpox, measles, or untreated infections.

Bone Density and Adrenal Function

Long-term use of inhaled steroids may affect bone density and, rarely, adrenal gland function. People switching from oral steroids need careful medical guidance.

Other Health Conditions

Tell your doctor if you have liver disease, diabetes, thyroid problems, or low potassium. The inhaler powder also contains lactose made with milk proteins, so tell your doctor about any severe milk protein allergy.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

There is limited information about this combination in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Poorly controlled breathing problems can also be harmful, so decisions should be made with a specialist who can weigh the benefits and risks. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning pregnancy, or breastfeeding.

Age Considerations

• Children and teens: not approved for use in people under 18 for either COPD or asthma.
• Older adults: may be more sensitive to heart-related effects and anticholinergic effects such as urinary problems.

Monitoring

Your doctor may check your breathing tests, symptoms, flare-up history, and inhaler technique regularly. People using inhaled steroids long term may need eye exams or bone health checks, depending on risk factors.

Regulatory Notes

The FDA-approved label includes warnings about pneumonia in COPD, paradoxical bronchospasm, immune effects, adrenal effects, heart effects, glaucoma, and urinary retention. Follow the current official labeling for your product.

Who This Medication Is For

This medicine is typically used by adults who:

• Have COPD and need ongoing daily treatment, often when symptoms or flare-ups continue despite other inhaled treatment
• Have asthma (age 18 and older) that is not well controlled on other long-term treatments, as decided by a specialist

It is not for people who need only a rescue medicine or who have mild, occasional symptoms that can be managed with simpler treatment.

Who Should Not Take Fluticasone Furoate-Umeclidinium-Vilanterol

Contraindications

Do not use this medicine if:

• You have had a severe allergic reaction to fluticasone furoate, umeclidinium, vilanterol, or any ingredient in the inhaler, including a severe milk protein allergy
• You are having a sudden asthma attack or breathing emergency (it is not a rescue medicine)
• You are under 18 years of age

Precautions

Talk to a doctor before use if you have:

• Heart disease, abnormal heart rhythm, or high blood pressure
• Narrow-angle glaucoma or other eye conditions
• Trouble urinating or an enlarged prostate
• Seizure disorder, thyroid disease, or diabetes
• Liver disease
• An active infection, including tuberculosis
• Current use of other inhaled long-acting bronchodilators or strong CYP3A4 inhibitors

What to Do If You Miss a Dose

• If you miss a dose, skip it and take your next dose at the usual time the next day.
• Do not take extra doses to make up for a missed one. Never use more than one inhalation in 24 hours unless your specialist has told you to.
• If you are unsure what to do, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
• If you think you used too much, seek medical advice or call a poison control center. Signs may include chest pain, a fast heartbeat, tremor, headache, or muscle cramps.

Related medications to Fluticasone Furoate-Umeclidinium-Vilanterol

Other treatment options may include:

• Other triple-therapy inhalers, such as budesonide-glycopyrronium-formoterol (and other products in some countries)
• Dual-therapy inhalers, such as LAMA/LABA combinations (for example, umeclidinium-vilanterol) or ICS/LABA combinations (for example, fluticasone furoate-vilanterol)
• Separate inhalers used together, as chosen by a specialist
• Single long-acting bronchodilators, plus a rescue inhaler
• Other COPD or asthma add-on treatments, depending on the condition

Non-drug measures can also support lung health, such as quitting smoking, staying up to date with vaccines, and pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD.

These options are not interchangeable. Do not stop, switch, or combine treatments without consulting a licensed medical specialist.

Storage Instructions

• Store at room temperature, about 20–25 °C (68–77 °F). Brief exposure to temperatures from 15–30 °C (59–86 °F) is acceptable.
• Keep the inhaler in its sealed moisture-protective tray until you are ready to use it.
• Protect from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight. Do not store in a bathroom.
• Do not use after the expiration date or when the dose counter reaches zero. Many labels advise discarding the inhaler about 6 weeks after opening the tray, so write the date on the label.
• Never wash the inhaler or put it in water. Keep the mouthpiece clean and dry.
• Keep all medicines out of the sight and reach of children.
• Ask a pharmacist how to dispose of an empty or expired inhaler safely.

Disclaimer:

This page is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Patients must consult a licensed pulmonologist or other relevant medical specialist before starting, changing, or stopping treatment. Treatment decisions must be based on a full clinical evaluation by a qualified specialist. Never ignore professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you read on this page.

Indication	COPD