Your Patients Are Struggling to Find Symbicort — Here's How You Can Help

As a prescriber, you've likely heard it from multiple patients: "My pharmacy can't get Symbicort." Intermittent supply disruptions with Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol) have persisted into 2026, creating frustration for patients who depend on this ICS/LABA combination for daily asthma or COPD management.

While supply has improved with the entry of generic budesonide/formoterol products, localized shortages still occur — particularly during respiratory season and at high-volume retail pharmacies. This guide offers practical steps you can integrate into your clinical workflow to help patients maintain uninterrupted access to their maintenance inhaler.

Current Availability Overview

As of 2026, the Symbicort supply landscape includes:

• Brand-name Symbicort (AstraZeneca): Generally available but subject to intermittent stockouts at certain locations
• Generic budesonide/formoterol (Breyna, authorized generics): Increasingly available and becoming the default at many pharmacies
• Strengths: 160/4.5 mcg is more consistently stocked than 80/4.5 mcg

The FDA does not currently list Symbicort as a critical shortage, but pharmacy-level availability remains variable by region and retailer.

Why Your Patients Can't Find It

Understanding the root causes helps you address patient concerns effectively:

• Wholesaler allocation limits: During tight supply, distributors cap pharmacy orders, creating uneven distribution
• Seasonal demand surges: Fall and winter respiratory illness season drives increased inhaler prescriptions
• Formulary-driven switching: Insurance formulary changes can create sudden demand shifts at pharmacies
• Pharmacy stocking preferences: Some pharmacies stock generics exclusively, others only brand — patients may not realize the substitution is available

5 Steps Providers Can Take

Step 1: Check Availability Before Prescribing

Use Medfinder for Providers to check real-time pharmacy inventory at the point of care. By verifying availability before the patient leaves your office, you can direct them to a pharmacy that has the medication in stock — saving them the frustration of being turned away.

Step 2: Prescribe Generically When Possible

Writing prescriptions for "budesonide/formoterol" rather than "Symbicort" gives pharmacies maximum flexibility to dispense whatever product they have in stock — brand or generic. Avoid writing "dispense as written" unless there's a specific clinical reason to require brand-name.

Step 3: Include Alternative Pharmacies on the Prescription

If you know a patient's usual pharmacy has had supply issues, consider sending the prescription to an independent pharmacy or a mail-order option. Independent pharmacies often maintain better stock of specialty medications through direct wholesaler relationships.

Step 4: Have a Therapeutic Backup Plan

For patients with a history of difficulty filling Symbicort, document a therapeutic alternative in their chart so that switching can happen quickly if needed. Reasonable alternatives include:

• Advair / Wixela Inhub (Fluticasone/Salmeterol): Widely available; generic options well-stocked
• Breo Ellipta (Fluticasone Furoate/Vilanterol): Once-daily dosing; good for adherence challenges
• Dulera (Mometasone/Formoterol): Same LABA as Symbicort; asthma only

Pre-authorizing alternatives with the patient's insurance can eliminate delays when a switch becomes necessary.

Step 5: Connect Patients with Cost Resources

Availability and affordability are interconnected — patients who can't afford their copay may not fill the prescription even when it's in stock. Proactively share these resources:

• AstraZeneca Savings Card: Commercially insured patients may pay as little as $0
• AZ&Me Patient Assistance Program: Free medication for qualifying uninsured patients (azandmeapp.com, 1-800-292-6363)
• Discount cards: GoodRx, SingleCare, and RxSaver can reduce generic costs to $150–$250

Therapeutic Alternatives in Detail

When a switch is necessary, selecting the right alternative depends on several factors:

Dose equivalence should be determined using GINA or GOLD guideline recommendations, as corticosteroid potency varies across products.

Workflow Tips for Your Practice

Integrating shortage awareness into your daily workflow doesn't have to be burdensome:

• Bookmark Medfinder for Providers on practice computers for quick availability checks
• Create a standard protocol for inhaler therapeutic interchange that nursing staff can initiate when patients report fill difficulties
• Flag patients on Symbicort in your EHR to proactively review at visits during peak shortage periods (October–February)
• Maintain a list of reliable local pharmacies — including independents — that consistently stock respiratory medications
• Train front desk staff to provide patients with Medfinder and AstraZeneca savings program information when they call about fill problems

Final Thoughts

Helping patients navigate Symbicort availability issues is an increasingly common part of respiratory care. By checking availability at the point of prescribing, leveraging generic options, maintaining therapeutic backup plans, and connecting patients with cost resources, you can significantly reduce the disruption that supply variability causes.

For the latest on Symbicort supply status, see our provider shortage update. And for patient-facing resources you can share, visit how to find Symbicort in stock.