The safety and effectiveness of Fluticasone Furoate/Vilanterol ELLIPTA for the maintenance treatment of asthma in pediatric patients 5 years of age and older have been established. This indication is based on Trial 14, an adequate and well-controlled trial in pediatric patients aged 5 to 17 years [see Adverse Reactions (6.2), Clinical Studies (14.2)]. The recommended dosage for pediatric patients is different than the adult dosage [see Dosage and Administration (2.2)].

The safety and efficacy of Fluticasone Furoate/Vilanterol ELLIPTA in pediatric patients aged younger than 5 years have not been established.

In Trial 12, an exacerbation trial [see Clinical Studies (14.2)], pediatric patients aged 12 to 17 years (n = 281) were treated with fluticasone furoate/vilanterol ELLIPTA 100/25 mcg (n = 151) or treated with fluticasone furoate 100 mcg (n = 130). Among these patients, 10% of patients treated with fluticasone furoate/vilanterol ELLIPTA 100/25 mcg reported an asthma exacerbation compared with 7% for patients treated with fluticasone furoate 100 mcg. Asthma-related hospitalizations occurred in 4 patients (2.6%) treated with fluticasone furoate/vilanterol ELLIPTA 100/25 mcg compared with 0 patients treated with fluticasone furoate 100 mcg.

Effects on Growth

Orally inhaled corticosteroids may cause a reduction in growth velocity when administered to pediatric patients. A reduction of growth velocity in pediatric patients may occur as a result of poorly controlled asthma or from use of corticosteroids, including ICS. The effects of long-term treatment of pediatric patients with ICS, including fluticasone furoate, on final adult height are not known.

Controlled clinical trials have shown that ICS may cause a reduction in growth in children. In these trials, the mean reduction in growth velocity was approximately 1 cm/year (range: 0.3 to 1.8 cm/year) and appears to be related to dose and duration of exposure. This effect has been observed in the absence of laboratory evidence of HPA axis suppression, suggesting that growth velocity is a more sensitive indicator of systemic corticosteroid exposure in children than some commonly used tests of HPA axis function. The long-term effects of this reduction in growth velocity associated with orally inhaled corticosteroids, including the impact on final adult height, are unknown. The potential for “catch-up” growth following discontinuation of treatment with orally inhaled corticosteroids has not been adequately studied. The growth of pediatric patients receiving orally inhaled corticosteroids, including Fluticasone Furoate/Vilanterol ELLIPTA, should be monitored routinely (e.g., via stadiometry). The potential growth effects of prolonged treatment should be weighed against the clinical benefits obtained and the risks associated with alternative therapies. To minimize the systemic effects of orally inhaled corticosteroids, including Fluticasone Furoate/Vilanterol ELLIPTA, each patient should be titrated to the lowest dose that effectively controls his/her symptoms.

A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, multicenter, 1-year, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the effect of once-daily treatment with orally inhaled fluticasone furoate 50 mcg on growth velocity assessed by stadiometry. The patients were 457 prepubertal children (girls aged 5 to <8 years and boys aged 5 to <9 years). Mean growth velocity over the 52-week treatment period was lower in the patients receiving orally inhaled fluticasone furoate (5.905 cm/year) compared with placebo (6.065 cm/year). The mean reduction in growth velocity was 0.16 cm/year (95% CI: -0.14, 0.46) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.14)].