Advair Diskus dosage form

Question

A patient requests a refill of Advair Diskus 250/50. The pharmacy also stocks pressurized inhalers that release a measured aerosol spray. To pick the correct product, the technician should know that the Diskus is which kind of device?

1. AA pressurized metered-dose aerosol inhaler✗ Incorrect

   A metered-dose inhaler releases a mist from a pressurized canister. The Diskus holds a dry powder instead.

2. BA dry powder inhaler holding a foil blister strip of medicine✓ Correct

   Correct. Advair Diskus is an inhalation powder in blisters, breathed in through the mouth.

3. CA solution to be run through a nebulizer machine✗ Incorrect

   Nebulizers turn a liquid into mist. The Diskus contains powder, not a nebulizer solution.

4. DA metered nasal spray pump✗ Incorrect

   Advair Diskus is breathed in through the mouth to reach the lungs; it is not a nasal spray.

Answer

B. A dry powder inhaler holding a foil blister strip of medicine

Rationale

Advair Diskus is a dry powder inhaler: the device holds a foil strip of blisters, each with fluticasone propionate and salmeterol powder, and the patient breathes the dose in through the mouth. In 250/50, the numbers give the micrograms of fluticasone propionate and of salmeterol in each blister. A metered-dose aerosol, a nebulizer solution and a nasal spray are different dosage forms, so the device type must match the order as closely as the drug and strength.