COST OF SOME DRUGS FOR MAINTENANCE TREATMENT OF ASTHMA
    
                                        Adult           Pediatric
Drug                    Formulation     Dosage          Dosage[1]   Cost[2]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beta-adrenemgic
 Salmeterol - Serevent  metered-dose	2 puffs bid     1-2 bid     $58.33
  (Glaxo Wellcome)      inhaler
                        (21 mg/puff)              
 Serevent Diskus        dry-powder      1 inhalation bid             63.85
                        inhaler
                        (50 mg/inhalation)
Inhaled Corticosteroids
 Beclomethasone dipropionate metered-dose inhaler
  Beclovent (Glaxo Wellcome)             (42 mg/puff)4-8 puffs bid    2-4 puffs bid  39.79
  Vanceril (Key)                                           45.92
  Vanceril Double-Strength (Key)         (84 mg/puff)2-4 puffs bid    1-2 puffs bid  48.88
 Budesonide
  Pulmicort Turbuhaler (Astra)          dry-powder inhaler1-2 inhalations  1-2 inhalations     32.10
                             (200 mg/inhalation)       bid                bid
 Flunisolide - Aerobid (Forest)         metered-dose inhaler2-4 puffs bid  2 puffs bid    71.57
                               (250 mg/puff)
 Fluticasone propionate - Flovent       metered-dose inhaler2-4 puffs bid  1-2 puffs bid  43.40
      (Glaxo Wellcome)       (44, 110 or 220 mg/puff) (44 mg/puff)(44
mg/puff)
    
 Flovent Rotadisk        dry-powder inhaler                  1 inhalation bid 1 inhalation bid 43.40
                             (50, 100 or 250 mg/in-   (100 mg/inhala-     (50 mg/inhala-
                              halation)     tion)     tion)
 Triamcinolone acetonidemetered-dose inhaler      2 puffs tid-qid     1-2 puffs tid-qid
      Azmacort (Rhone-Poulenc Rorer)        (100 mg/puffl       or 4 puffs bid or 4 puffs bid 35.46
Cromolyn sodium
 Intal (Rhone-Poulenc Rorer)metered-dose inhaler  2-4 puffs qid2-4 puffs qid    83.16
                             (800 mg/puff)
Leukotriene modifiers
 Montelukast - Singulair (Merck)       tablets   10 mg once/day5 mg once/day   66.96
 Zafirlukast - Accolate (Zeneca)        tablets   20 mg bid  55.86
 Zileuton - Zyflo (Abbott)  tablets     600 mg qid           82.53
Nedocromil sodium
 Tilade (Rhone-Poulenc Rorer)metered-dose inhaler 2 puffs qid2 puffs qid   69.34
                             0.75 mg/puffl
    
Theophylline - average generic price    extended- re I ease cap- 300-600 mg/day 10 mg/kg/day~'_-8.02
 Slo-Bid Gyrocaps (Rh6ne-Poulenc Rorer)         sules or tablets      14.50
 Unidur (Key)                           400-600 mg/day     31.98
 Theo-Dur (Key)                         300-600 mg/day     11.66
    1. Less than 40 kg.
    2. Cost of 30 days' treatment with the lowest recommended adult dosage, according to wholesale price (AWP) listings in Drug To-
     pics Red Book 1998 and JuJy Update.
    3. Based on a 44 mg-puff dose (also available in 110 mg and 220 mg strengths).
    4. Starting dose. Usual maximum is 16 mg/kg/day in children more than 1 year old and 0.2 (age in weeks) + 5 mg/kg/day in infants