A 6 month safety study comparing Symbicort with inhaled corticosteroid only in asthmatic adults and adolescents

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