GSK has announced that it will change the color of the Relvar Ellipta fluticasone/vilanterol DPI starting in January 2015. The company said that it will remove the color blue from the inhaler and its packaging and will change the mouthpiece cover and packaging to yellow. Pharmacists had expressed concerns that patients would be confused because the color blue has been traditionally associated with rescue inhalers in the UK.
According to the company, “The color change is in response to the practical insights and feedback that GSK has received from a number of professional and patient organisations. Given the common practice in the UK of referring to short acting beta agonists (SABAs) as ‘blue inhalers,’ the change will further support the clear distinction between Relvar and SABAs in clinical practice.”
In addition to the color change, GSK will add color indicators for the dosage strength on the inhaler, with a green bar indicating the lower dose product and a red bar for the higher dose. Space will also be added on the back of the DPI for the patient to write in the “discard by” date.
Read the GSK announcement.
