Dulera vs Breo, Comparison, Uses, and Cost, a Guide

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Posted by Prescription Hope - See Editorial Guidelines (Last Updated On: Tue Mar 14 2023)

Wondering what the difference is between Dulera and Breo. Here’s where we answer the question Dulera vs Breo and provide their contents, uses, costs, and comparisons.

First, here’s a quick reference table to help provide some brief answers, then we’ll dive into more details.

Dulera vs Breo – quick reference table

Dulera	Breo
asthma treatment	asthma and COPD treatment
Metered dose inhaler	Dry Powder Inhaler
2 puffs twice a day	One actuation once a day for both asthma and COPD
Active drugs – mometasone and formoterol	Active drugs – fluticasone and vilanterol
Retail cost: $315 (approx)	Retail cost: $365 (approx)
Suits adults and children	Suits adults

So, now let’s dive into more details, starting with a comparison of what each is and how they work.

What Is Dulera?

Dulera is a blue inhaler for long term treatment of asthma in adults and children of 5 years and older.

Dulera targets asthma, which is a medical condition in which your airways swell and tighten. This makes the airways narrower, making it difficult to breathe.

But Dulera isn’t approved for use during sudden asthma symptoms that get worse, often referred to as asthma attacks.

What is Breo?

Breo, on the other hand, is used for treating two medical conditions, namely asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).

Breo is used similarly to Dulera for the treatment of asthma. It can also be used to treat COPD, which is a common lung disease that makes it hard to breathe.

COPD is a condition caused mainly by long-term exposure to irritating gases or any other irritant or particular matter from the external environment.

Breo is also used for treating airflow obstruction with COPD, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and also for reducing COPD exacerbations.

How Dulera Works

Dulera comes as a metered-dose inhaler that is blue in color and disposable. Each Dulera inhaler has two parts, namely, the canister and an actuator.

The canister has the two active ingredients of Dulera. The actuator holds the canister in place and releases the medication in a premeasured dose (inhalation puffs) when you use them.

Dulera dispenses the drug as a spray into the lungs and requires hand-breathe coordination to work. Meaning, while pressing the canister you have to breathe/inhale the medication at the same time. Dulera comes in three strengths as follows,

• 50 mcg mometasone/5 mcg formoterol (Ages 5 to 12)
• 100 mcg mometasone/5 mcg formoterol (12 years of age and older)
• 200 mcg mometasone/5 mcg formoterol (12 years of age and older)

How Breo Works

Breo, on the other hand, works through an inhaler that releases the medication as a fine dry powder. It comes with a blister pack that contains the measured doses of the medication.

The inhaler opens and loads a blister of Breo every time you’re about to use it. The device comes with a preloaded blister pack, which is available in two strengths as follows:

• 25mcg/100mcg per actuation (For COPD and Asthma)
• 25mg/200mcg per actuation (For Asthma only)

The safety and efficacy of Breo have not been determined for those that are below 18 years of age.

Dosage Dulera vs Breo

Dulera comes in three strengths. The dose of 50 mcg mometasone/5 mcg formoterol should only be given to children between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. The other two dosages – 100g mometasone/5 mcg formoterol and 200 mcg mometasone/5 mcg – are for adults and children 12 years and above.

The dose is two puffs of the medication twice a day. Make sure you leave a break of at least 30 seconds before the second puff/inhalation. The maximum dose for adults is two puffs twice daily.

When it comes to Breo, the dosage depends on the condition it’s being used for – asthma or COPD. The breakdown is as follows,

COPD

For COPD intended for long term treatment, the dose strength is 25 mcg/100 mcg (1 actuation) inhaled per day. This dose should be continued daily, as it serves as a long-term medication.

It’s also advised to take the medication at the same time each day and never take more than one actuation in 24 hours.

Asthma

The recommended dose strength for asthma is 25 mcg/100 mcg or 25 mcg/200 mcg per actuation, once daily via oral inhalation. This dose and strength are for people who are prescribed Breo as a once-daily treatment.

This dose is for asthma patients whose asthma conditions are not well controlled with other long-term asthma control medications.

Breo is not a rescue inhaler and will not replace one’s rescue inhaler.

What Dulera Contains

Dulera contains two active drugs – mometasone and formoterol.

Mometasone belongs to a class of drugs known as inhaled corticosteroids. What mometasone does is help in reducing the swelling in the lungs, which is one of the major causes of asthma.

The second drug is formoterol, which is a type of long-acting beta-agonist (LABA). This drug helps in relaxing the muscles in the airways, enabling them to open up making it easier to breathe.

What Breo Contains

Breo is a fine drug powder that has a combination of fluticasone and vilanterol as the active ingredients.

Fluticasone is a steroid that helps prevent inflammation caused by irritants. Vilanterol helps in relaxing the airways, making it easier to breathe.

However, if you try using only the active ingredient vilanterol, it could have serious implications in asthma patients. This is why it’s a combined drug in Breo.

Cost – Dulera vs Breo

On average Dulera costs about $315, whereas Breo costs about $365. These prices are for cash paying customers and are not subject to any insurance coverage.

For those patients enrolled with Prescription Hope, either of these two drugs could be obtained for just $60.00 per month. Simply enroll here and begin the process.

Effectiveness – Dulera vs Breo

The effectiveness of which is better cannot be accurately reported, as their approach for treating asthma and the duration of the treatment differs for each of them.

Moreover, as Breo also treats COPD unlike Dulera, the effectiveness for this area cannot be compared.

However, research suggests that metered-dose inhalers are more effective and safer for older patients with moderate to severe asthma. Dulera is a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) and Breo is a dry powder inhaler (DPI). So, in this case, Dulera may be more effective.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of Dulera vs Breo will vary from patient to patient. Therefore, the decision for which medication is appropriate for you should be discussed with your doctor.

Last Thoughts

We hope this has provided a better understanding and comparison between Dulera vs Breo. As always, follow the advice of your doctor. Any questions should always be addressed to them before changing any medications.

If you’re having trouble affording Dulera or Breo, or any other medication, then enroll with us here and pay only $60.00 a month through Prescription Hope’s medication access service for each medication.