MHRA Safety Reminder: Short-Acting Beta 2 Agonist Overuse
Healthcare professionals and patients are reminded of the significant risks associated with overuse of short-acting beta 2 agonists (SABA) in asthma management. The MHRA has issued this alert to reinforce existing safety guidance and highlight recent changes to SABA prescribing recommendations.
Key Safety Points
- Overuse of SABA—with or without anti-inflammatory maintenance therapy—is associated with severe asthma attacks and increased mortality risk
- Frequent SABA use (more than twice weekly) is a marker of poor asthma control and indicates need for review
- SABA should be used as reliever therapy only; regular use suggests inadequate maintenance anti-inflammatory treatment
- Recent prescribing guidelines have been updated to reflect best practice in SABA use
Affected Medications
This alert applies to:
- Salbutamol (albuterol)
- Terbutaline
Recommended Actions
- Review asthma patients currently using SABA frequently or regularly
- Assess control and optimise maintenance anti-inflammatory therapy where needed
- Counsel patients on appropriate SABA use as reliever therapy only
- Familiarise yourself with the updated SABA prescribing guidelines
- Consider referral to specialist asthma services if control remains poor despite optimisation
Further Information
For the full MHRA drug safety update, visit the MHRA website.