Overview
- More than one million people in England now use the newer combination inhalers, which for the first time outnumber blue‑inhaler‑only use.
- NHS leaders and local integrated care boards are urging anyone who relies on a blue salbutamol inhaler to contact their GP to review treatment.
- The newer devices pair an inhaled steroid with formoterol to calm airway swelling while giving fast relief, used either as an as‑needed anti‑inflammatory reliever or as daily maintenance plus reliever therapy.
- NICE warns heavy use of blue inhalers is a red flag, with 48% of users prescribed more than two in 2024–25, a pattern linked to higher risks of attacks, hospital visits and death.
- NICE modelling projects that for every 10,000 people who switch there are about 1,133 fewer GP appointments, 144 fewer A&E visits and 80 fewer hospital admissions each year, though clinicians say some urgent‑care settings still prescribe blue inhalers inappropriately and some patients remain hesitant about steroids.