Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A 26 Week, Randomized, Double-blind, Parallel-group, Active Controlled, Multicenter, Multinational Safety Study Evaluating the Risk of Serious Asthma-related Events During Treatment With Symbicort®, a Fixed Combination of Inhaled Corticosteroid (ICS) (Budesonide) and a Long Acting β2-agonist (LABA) (Formoterol) as Compared to Treatment With ICS (Budesonide) Alone in Adult and Adolescent (≥12 Years of Age) Patients With Asthma
Brief Summary: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety of Symbicort compared to inhaled corticosteroid alone during 6 months in adult and adolescent patients with asthma


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Provision of signed informed consent/ paediatric assent (if applicable) prior to any study specific procedures including medication withdrawal
* Male or Female, ≥12 years of age
* Documented clinical diagnosis of asthma for at least 1 year prior to Visit 2
* Patient must have history of at least 1 asthma exacerbation including one of the following:

  * requiring treatment with systemic corticosteroids
  * an asthma-related hospitalization between 4 weeks and 12 months prior to randomization
* Current Asthma Therapy: Patients must be appropriately using one of the treatments for asthma listed in the protocol combined with achieving certain results when recording an Asthma Control Questionnaire

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient has a history of life-threatening asthma. Defined for this protocol as an asthma episode that required intubation and/or was associated with hypercapnea requiring non-invasive ventilatory support.
* Patient has required treatment with systemic corticosteroids (tablets, suspensions or injectable) for any reason within 4 weeks prior to Visit 2
* Patient has an ongoing exacerbation, defined as a worsening of asthma that requires treatment with systemic corticosteroids (tablets, suspension, or injectable)
* An asthma exacerbation within 4 weeks of randomization or more than 4 separate exacerbations in the 12 months preceding randomization or more than 2 hospitalizations for treatment of asthma in the 12 months preceding randomization
* Patient has a respiratory infection or other viral/bacterial illness, or is recovering from such an illness at the time of Visit 2 that, in the investigator's opinion, will interfere with the patient's lung function
* Patient must not meet unstable asthma severity criteria as listed in the protocol
* Peak expiratory flow must not be below 50% o predicted normal
* Pregnancy, breast-feeding or planned pregnancy during the study
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* physician-diagnosed asthma
* age 6 or older
* pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume (FEV1) of at least 60% of predicted
* beta-agonist reversibility OR airways hyperreactivity by methacholine challenge
* Juniper Asthma Control Score of 1.5 or greater if not on daily controller
* good current health

Exclusion Criteria:

* current or past smoking (greater than 20 pack-years)
* chronic or current oral steroid therapy
* pregnancy, lack of effective contraception (when appropriate), lactation
C: Inclusion_Criteria:

1. Patients homozygous for arginine at the 16th amino acid position of the beta2 adrenergic receptor (B16 Arg/Arg)
2. All patients must sign and date an Informed Consent Form for the study prior to participation in the trial
3. Male or female outpatients with at least 18 years of age, but not older than 65 years
4. Patients must have a documented history of asthma
5. Patients must be current non-smokers or ex-smokers with a cigarette smoking history of \<10 pack-years
6. Patients must be on a maintenance treatment with inhaled corticosteroids with a total daily dose of 400 - 1000 mcg budesonide or equivalent

Exclusion_Criteria:

1. Patients with a significant disease other than asthma
2. Patients with a recent history (i.e., six months or less) of myocardial infarction
3. Patients who have been hospitalized for heart failure (New York Heart Association class III or IV) within the past year
4. Patients with any unstable or life threatening cardiac arrhythmia or cardiac arrhythmia requiring intervention or a change in drug therapy within the past year
5. Patients with malignancy for which the patient has undergone resection, radiation therapy or chemotherapy within the last five years. Patients with treated basal cell carcinoma are allowed.
6. Patients with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
7. Patients with a history of life threatening pulmonary obstruction, or a history of cystic fibrosis or clinically evident bronchiectasis
8. Patients with known active tuberculosis
9. Patients who have undergone thoracotomy with pulmonary resection.
10. Patients who have completed a pulmonary rehabilitation program in the six weeks prior to visit 1 or patients who are currently in a pulmonary rehabilitation program that will not be maintained throughout the duration of the study.
D: Inclusion criteria:

1. All patients must sign and date an Informed Consent Form consistent with International Conference on Harmonisation - Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP) guidelines and local legislation prior to participation in the trial (i.e. prior to any trial procedures, including any pre-trial washout of medications and medication restrictions for pulmonary function test at Visit 1).
2. Male or female patients aged at least 18 years but not more than 75 years.
3. All patients must have at least a 3 month history of asthma at the time of enrolment into the trial. The diagnosis should be confirmed at Visit 1 by fulfilling inclusion criterion 5.
4. The initial diagnosis of asthma must have been made before the patient's age of 40.
5. The diagnosis of asthma has to be confirmed at Visit 1 with a bronchodilator reversibility (15 minutes after 400 mcg salbutamol (albuterol)) resulting in a Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) increase of at least 12% and at least 200mL.
6. All patients must have been on maintenance treatment with a medium, stable dose of inhaled corticosteroids for at least for 4 weeks prior to Visit 1. 7. All patients must be symptomatic at Visit 1 (screening) and prior to randomisation at Visit 2 as defined by an Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) mean score of at least 1.5.

8. All patients must have a pre-bronchodilator FEV1 at least 60% and less than or equal to 90% of predicted normal at Visit 1.

9. Variation of absolute FEV1 values of Visit 1 (pre-bronchodilator) as compared to Visit 2 (pre-dose) must be within ± 30%.

10. Patients must be never-smokers or ex-smokers who stopped smoking at least one year prior to enrolment (Visit 0) and who have a smoking history of less than 10 pack years.

11. Patients must be able to use the Respimat® inhaler and metered dose inhaler correctly.

12. Patients must be able to perform all trial related procedures including technically acceptable pulmonary function tests and use of electronic diary/peak flow meter.

Exclusion criteria:

1. Patients with a significant disease other than asthma. A significant disease is defined as a disease which, in the opinion of the investigator, may (i) put the patient at risk because of participation in the trial, or (ii) influence the results of the trial, or (iii) cause concern regarding the patient's ability to participate in the trial.
2. Patients with a clinically relevant abnormal screening (Visit 1) haematology or blood chemistry if the abnormality defines a significant disease as defined in exclusion criterion 1.
3. Patients with a recent history (i.e. six months or less) of myocardial infarction.
4. Patients who have been hospitalised for cardiac failure during the past year.
5. Patients with any unstable or life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia or cardiac arrhythmia requiring intervention or a change in drug therapy within the past year.
6. Patients with lung diseases other than asthma (e.g. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)).
7. Patients with known active tuberculosis.
8. Patients with malignancy for which the patient has undergone resection, radiation therapy or chemotherapy within the last five years. Patients with treated basal cell carcinoma are allowed.
9. Patients who have undergone thoracotomy with pulmonary resection. Patients with a history of thoracotomy for other reasons should be evaluated as per exclusion criterion no. 1.
10. Patients with significant alcohol or drug abuse within the past two years.
11. Patients who are currently in a pulmonary rehabilitation program or have completed a pulmonary rehabilitation program in the 6 weeks prior to Visit 1 (screening).
12. Patients with known hypersensitivity to anticholinergic drugs, benzalkonium chloride (BAC), ethylenediamineteraacetic acid (EDTA), salmeterol xinafoate or any other components of the study medication delivery systems.
13. Pregnant or nursing woman.
14. Women of childbearing potential not using a highly effective method of birth control.
15. Patients who have taken an investigational drug within four weeks prior to Visit 1.
16. Patients who have been treated with beta-blocker medication within four weeks prior to Visit 1 and/or during the screening period. Topical cardio-selective beta-blocker eye medications for non-narrow angle glaucoma are allowed.
17. Patients who have been treated with the long-acting anticholinergic tiotropium (Spiriva®) within four weeks prior to Visit 1 and/or during the screening period.
18. Patients who have been treated with oral or patch beta-adrenergics within four weeks prior to Visit 1 and/or during the Screening period.
19. Patients who have been treated with oral corticosteroids within four weeks prior to Visit 1 and/or during the screening period.
20. Patients who have been treated with anti-IgE antibodies, e.g. omalizumab (Xolair®), within 6 months prior to Visit 1 and/or during the screening period.
21. Patients who have been treated with cromone within two weeks prior to Visit 1 and/or during the screening period.
22. Patients who have been treated with methylxanthines or phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors within two weeks prior to Visit 1 and/or during the screening period.
23. Patients who have been treated with other non-approved and according to international guidelines not recommended "experimental" drugs for routine asthma therapy within four weeks prior to Visit 1 and/or during the screening period.
24. Patients with any asthma exacerbation or any respiratory tract infection iin the four weeks prior to Visit 1 and/or during the screening period.
25. Patients who have previously been randomised in this trial or in the respective twin trial (205.418) or are currently participating in another trial.

Answer: A