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Key takeaways
Symbicort is an inhaler approved for treating asthma in kids over 6 years old and COPD in adults.
It’s also available as generic budesonide-formoterol, which is sometimes sold under the name Breyna.
It’s easy to switch between brand-name and generic Symbicort because no tapering is required, but it’s important to continue taking your inhaler as prescribed.
Symbicort is an inhaler containing two active ingredients, budesonide and formoterol, which work together to reduce inflammation in the lungs and help open up airways. It was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006 for the treatment of asthma in people 12 years and older, and in 2009 for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Since then, it has also been approved as an asthma treatment for kids over 6 years of age.
If you have asthma or COPD, you may be prescribed brand-name Symbicort or a generic budesonide-formoterol. They have the same safety and effectiveness. But generic drugs are often more available and affordable than brand-name drugs, so if you’re currently taking brand-name Symbicort, here’s why you might want to ask your healthcare provider about a generic version instead.
Is there a generic for Symbicort?
The generic form of Symbicort is budesonide-formoterol, which was launched in 2020 by the same manufacturer, AstraZeneca. This is called an authorized generic, meaning it is the exact same drug packaged without the brand name. An authorized generic is usually marketed by the brand-name drug company.
Another generic version of Symbicort, Breyna, was approved by the FDA for production by a different manufacturer (Viatris) in March 2022. Breyna is bioequivalent to Symbicort, which means it’s also essentially the same medication with the same safety and efficacy, though it may have some minor differences. Because there’s more than one company making generic versions of Symbicort, it’s more available than the brand-name and often covered by insurance at a lower cost.
What are the differences between brand-name and generic Symbicort?
According to Rebecca Freiss, MD, allergist and immunologist with Summit Health, brand-name Symbicort and generic budesonide-formoterol contain the same active ingredients, so either one is acceptable for asthma and COPD treatment.
To be FDA-approved, generic drugs have to contain the same active ingredient(s) as their brand-name counterparts, and they have to be just as safe and effective. However, generic drugs are often less expensive and may look different than brand-name drugs. They may also contain slightly different inactive ingredients, like dyes, preservatives, and fillers.
Although brand-name and generic drugs are essentially the same, there may be differences that may affect how well they work for individual people.
Delivery system
Brand-name Symbicort and generic budesonide-formoterol use the exact same method to deliver the medication to your airways (a combination of two inhaler systems, pressurized and dry powder). These drugs are identical, though the physical appearance of the inhaler may be different. Breyna, meanwhile, only uses one pressurized inhaler system.
In all three cases, the medication is delivered as an aerosol spray, but some people dislike the difference between Symbicort and Breyna or find that one is more or less effective than the other for them.
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Related: Symbicort side effects and how to avoid them
What is the price of generic Symbicort?
Without insurance, there are slight price differences between brand-name Symbicort, budesonide-formoterol, and Breyna, with each one costing $494, $549, and $475 for 1,10.2 gm of 160/4.5 mcg/act inhaler, respectively. With a SingleCare discount card, your out-of-pocket cost for any of the three drugs is around $156, a cost savings of anywhere from $319 to $393, depending on your choice of pharmacy and location.
Brand vs. generic Symbicort prices |
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| Brand-name Symbicort | Symbicort generic (budesonide-formoterol) | Breyna (budesonide-formoterol) | |
| Average cost without insurance* | $494 for 1,10.2 gm of 160/4.5 mcg/act inhaler | $549 for 1,10.2 gm of 160/4.5 mcg/act inhaler | $475 for 1,10.2 gm of 160/4.5 mcg/act inhaler |
| SingleCare’s lowest price* | $156 for 1,10.2 gm of 160/4.5 mcg/act inhaler | $156 for 1,10.2 gm of 160/4.5 mcg/act inhaler | $156 for 1,10.2 gm of 160/4.5 mcg/act inhaler |
| Free coupons | Symbicort coupons | Budesonide-formoterol coupons | Breyna coupons |
*Cost at time of publication. Drug prices fluctuate and vary by pharmacy.
What are the off-label uses for Symbicort?
Symbicort is FDA approved as a maintenance inhaler, which means it should be used every day to control your asthma or COPD symptoms over time. But Dr. Freiss says it can be used off-label as a rescue inhaler as well, allowing people to only carry one inhaler instead of two. This is called Single Maintenance and Reliever Therapy (SMART).
SMART is used for people with moderate to severe asthma who need the long-term benefits of a controller inhaler as well as acute relief from a rescue inhaler during asthma flares or attacks. However, you should only use your Symbicort inhaler for SMART if you have talked about this with your healthcare provider and it’s part of your asthma action plan.
How to switch from Symbicort to budesonide-formoterol
According to Dana Manning, Pharm.D., RD, LDN, associate professor of pharmacy practice at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, switching from brand-name Symbicort to generic budesonide-formoterol is relatively easy: You don’t need to taper off Symbicort before switching to the generic, and most people will experience little to no difference between the two medications.
In fact, pharmacists are authorized to substitute lower-cost generic drugs instead of the brand-name equivalent unless the healthcare provider who prescribed the medication expressly asks them not to, per Dr. Manning. For example, if you have an allergy or sensitivity to a part of the generic formulation (like a dye or preservative used), you may only be able to use the brand-name version. But the vast majority of the time, she explains, generic medications are given as long as one exists for a prescribed drug and a person’s insurance plan covers it.
If you decide to talk to your provider about switching between brand-name Symbicort and generic budesonide-formoterol, make sure the change doesn’t disrupt your dosing schedule. Discontinuing your inhaler use can increase the risk of an asthma attack or COPD flare, Dr. Freiss says, and lead to symptoms like shortness of breath and wheezing.
Bottom line
Symbicort is an inhaler for asthma and COPD containing two ingredients, budesonide and formoterol. It’s usually prescribed as a maintenance inhaler, but it’s often used off-label as a combination maintenance and rescue inhaler. It has both an authorized generic, called budesonide-formoterol, and a regular generic, called Breyna. All three versions contain the same active ingredients and have the same safety and efficacy, though some people prefer the way Symbicort works over Breyna.
If you are on Symbicort, you may want to ask about switching to one of the generic forms of budesonide-formoterol: “It should be just as effective and may cost less,” Dr. Freiss says. For most people, switching between brand-name Symbicort and its generic drug is easy, but you should always talk to your healthcare provider first.
- FDA list of authorized generic drugs, Food & Drug Administration (2025)
- What is SMART therapy for asthma?, Asthma & Allergy Network (2024)