Purple Inhalers Explained: Asthma and COPD Medicines, Brands, and Device Differences

Written by Dr. Adam Makis in TheSkyMeds Editorial Standards

Medically reviewed by Jonathan Reed, Medical Content Reviewer Aug 26 2026

A purple inhaler is commonly associated with certain combination medicines used for long-term asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) control, particularly products containing fluticasone propionate and salmeterol. However, inhaler color is not a standardized medical classification, and a purple device in one country or brand may not contain the same medicine as another. Well-known examples include Seretide in the UK and Advair in the United States, both of which combine an inhaled corticosteroid with a long-acting bronchodilator. These medicines reduce airway inflammation while helping keep the airways open, but they are generally maintenance treatments rather than inhalers for immediate relief of sudden breathing symptoms. The same drug combination can also be supplied through different devices, including dry-powder inhalers and pressurized metered-dose inhalers, which require different inhalation techniques. This guide explains what purple inhalers may contain, how their roles differ in asthma and COPD, the major brand and device differences, and why you should identify an inhaler by its medication rather than its color.

What Is a Purple Inhaler?

“Purple inhaler” is an informal description rather than the name of a drug class. Traditionally, some purple devices have contained the combination of fluticasone propionate and salmeterol, but color alone is not safe enough to identify an inhaler's ingredients or purpose.

The clearest UK example is Seretide Accuhaler. Official product information describes it as a purple molded plastic device containing fluticasone propionate plus salmeterol.

Fluticasone is an inhaled corticosteroid, usually shortened to ICS. Salmeterol is a long-acting beta2-agonist bronchodilator, or LABA.

Together, they provide two different actions:

• Fluticasone reduces inflammation inside the airways.

• Salmeterol relaxes airway muscle and produces prolonged bronchodilation.

• The combination is taken regularly to help maintain respiratory control in appropriately selected patients.

The official Seretide Accuhaler prescribing information confirms both the medication combination and its approved asthma and COPD uses in the UK.

Why color can be misleading

Color coding developed informally over years of inhaler use, with blue often associated with short-acting relievers and other colors used for preventers or combination medicines.

Modern inhaler treatment is much more complicated.

Different manufacturers may use different colors. Generic versions can look different from the original brand. A patient may also receive a new device, dose, or brand while continuing similar active ingredients.

Asthma + Lung UK specifically notes that an inhaler may change color because the prescribed brand, device type, or dose has changed.

For this reason, always check:

• the medicine names;

• the strength;

• the device name;

• the prescribing label; and

• the instructions provided with the inhaler.

Do not identify an asthma or COPD medicine by color alone. “Purple inhaler” often refers to an ICS/LABA combination such as fluticasone/salmeterol, but brand colors and devices vary, so the printed medication name is the safer way to know what you are using.

What Medicines Are Commonly Found in Purple Combination Inhalers?

The classic purple combination inhaler contains fluticasone propionate plus salmeterol. This combination combines an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid with a long-acting medicine that keeps the airways relaxed.

Fluticasone: the anti-inflammatory component

Fluticasone propionate is an inhaled corticosteroid.

In asthma, airway inflammation is a central part of the disease. Inhaled corticosteroids reduce this inflammation and lower the risk of symptoms and exacerbations when used appropriately.

In COPD, inhaled corticosteroids have a more selective role. They are not automatically appropriate for every patient because COPD treatment is often centered first on bronchodilators, with corticosteroids added in certain clinical situations.

Salmeterol: the long-acting bronchodilator

Salmeterol is a LABA that relaxes smooth muscle surrounding the airways.

Official Seretide information describes salmeterol as producing bronchodilation lasting at least 12 hours.

Unlike rapid-acting reliever medicines, salmeterol in a fluticasone/salmeterol inhaler is generally used as part of planned maintenance treatment.

This distinction is crucial during an asthma attack or sudden COPD deterioration.

Why combine the two?

For some people, inhaled corticosteroid treatment alone does not provide adequate asthma control.

Adding a LABA can improve symptom control when combination therapy is clinically appropriate.

In COPD, selected people with exacerbations may also receive an ICS-containing combination, although modern COPD guidelines increasingly favor other combinations or triple therapy for particular patients.

What the main ingredients in a typical purple fluticasone/salmeterol inhaler do

Ingredient	Medicine class	Main role	Important limitation
Fluticasone propionate	Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)	Reduces airway inflammation	Does not provide rapid relief of sudden bronchospasm
Salmeterol	Long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA)	Keeps airways relaxed for prolonged periods	Not intended by itself as immediate rescue treatment
Fluticasone + salmeterol	ICS/LABA combination	Long-term control in selected asthma or COPD patients	Should not automatically be treated as a rescue inhaler
Fast-acting reliever medicine	Depends on treatment plan	Treats symptoms rapidly	May be a separate inhaler or, with certain other combinations, part of an AIR/MART strategy

How Are Purple Inhalers Used for Asthma?

For asthma, a fluticasone/salmeterol inhaler is primarily a maintenance controller treatment. It reduces inflammation and provides long-lasting bronchodilation, but the salmeterol-containing combination should not be assumed to function as an immediate reliever.

Seretide is authorized in the UK for regular asthma treatment when an ICS/LABA combination is appropriate, including patients whose asthma is not adequately controlled with inhaled corticosteroid treatment plus an as-needed short-acting bronchodilator.

In the United States, Advair Diskus contains the same drug classes—fluticasone propionate and salmeterol—and is approved for twice-daily asthma treatment in eligible patients aged 4 years and older.

The current U.S. Advair Diskus prescribing information specifically states that it is not indicated for relief of acute bronchospasm.

Why not every combination inhaler works as a reliever

Current asthma treatment includes several different types of combination inhalers.

Some contain an inhaled corticosteroid plus formoterol. Formoterol acts quickly enough that certain ICS/formoterol products can be prescribed as anti-inflammatory reliever therapy (AIR) or maintenance and reliever therapy (MART).

Salmeterol is different.

Asthma + Lung UK explains that a combination inhaler without formoterol cannot be used as an AIR or MART inhaler.

So if your purple inhaler contains fluticasone plus salmeterol, do not assume you should take extra doses whenever symptoms suddenly appear. Follow the action plan given by your clinician.

Asthma treatment has changed in recent years

Modern asthma management emphasizes ensuring that patients receive inhaled corticosteroid-containing treatment rather than relying exclusively on a short-acting bronchodilator.

The 2026 Global Initiative for Asthma strategy represents the latest international evidence-based update for asthma management.

This does not mean everyone should be switched to the same inhaler. Choice depends on symptom pattern, exacerbation history, age, treatment response, device technique, and locally available medicines.

How Are Purple Inhalers Used for COPD?

Fluticasone/salmeterol combinations can be used for COPD maintenance in selected patients, but COPD treatment has evolved and an ICS/LABA inhaler is no longer the preferred starting combination for many people.

In the UK, the Seretide 500 Accuhaler is authorized for symptomatic COPD treatment in a defined group of patients with significant airflow limitation, repeated exacerbations, and persistent symptoms despite regular bronchodilator treatment.

In the United States, Advair Diskus 250/50 is approved for maintenance treatment of COPD airflow obstruction and for reducing exacerbations in patients with a history of exacerbations.

However, regulatory approval and current guideline preference are not exactly the same question.

Current COPD guidelines use ICS more selectively

The 2026 GOLD report states that LABA/LAMA dual bronchodilation is generally preferred when initiating long-acting bronchodilator treatment. GOLD does not encourage routine LABA/ICS combination treatment in COPD when there is an indication for corticosteroid therapy because LABA/LAMA/ICS triple therapy has demonstrated advantages over LABA/ICS in appropriate patients.

The 2026 GOLD COPD strategy also emphasizes that inhaled corticosteroid decisions depend on factors such as exacerbation history, blood eosinophil count, and asthma features.

If someone with COPD is already well controlled on LABA/ICS, GOLD notes that continuing it can still be an option in appropriate circumstances.

This is why someone should not stop a long-standing purple COPD inhaler simply because newer combinations exist. Treatment should be reviewed individually.

ICS and pneumonia risk in COPD

Inhaled corticosteroids have benefits in selected COPD populations, but they also have risks.

GOLD 2026 notes that regular ICS treatment increases pneumonia risk, particularly in people with more severe disease.

Whether an ICS-containing inhaler is worthwhile therefore depends on the balance between expected exacerbation reduction and potential adverse effects.

Which Purple Inhaler Brands Are Available?

Brand names differ substantially by country, and even the same active ingredients may be supplied in different devices or under different names.

Two of the best-known examples are Seretide and Advair.

Seretide in the UK

Seretide combines fluticasone propionate with salmeterol.

UK product listings include:

• Seretide Accuhaler 100;

• Seretide Accuhaler 250;

• Seretide Accuhaler 500;

• Seretide 50 Evohaler;

• Seretide 125 Evohaler; and

• Seretide 250 Evohaler.

These numbers should not be interpreted as interchangeable doses. Different formulations express strengths differently, and treatment should be changed only according to the prescribed product.

Advair in the United States

Advair Diskus also combines fluticasone propionate and salmeterol.

Current U.S. prescribing information lists Diskus strengths containing:

• fluticasone 100 mcg + salmeterol 50 mcg;

• fluticasone 250 mcg + salmeterol 50 mcg; and

• fluticasone 500 mcg + salmeterol 50 mcg.

However, U.S. and UK indications and dosing are not identical. For example, regulatory labeling for COPD differs between Seretide and Advair.

Generic versions may also use different device shapes or colors.

For that reason, a statement such as “I take the purple inhaler” gives a clinician much less useful information than saying “I take fluticasone/salmeterol” and providing the device and strength.

What Is the Difference Between a Purple Accuhaler, Diskus, and Evohaler?

Accuhaler/Diskus devices and Evohaler-style devices deliver medication differently. The drug may be similar, but correct technique is not interchangeable.

“Accuhaler” is the UK name used for a dry-powder device design that is closely related to the Diskus terminology used in other markets.

Accuhaler or Diskus: dry-powder inhalers

A dry-powder inhaler, or DPI, contains medication as powder rather than delivering it from a pressurized aerosol canister.

The Seretide Accuhaler contains individually prepared doses in a foil strip. The patient operates a lever to prepare a dose and then inhales the powder through the mouthpiece.

Because the medicine is drawn into the lungs by the patient's inhalation, the breathing technique differs from a standard pressurized inhaler.

A spacer is not used with a DPI.

Evohaler: pressurized metered-dose inhaler

A pressurized metered-dose inhaler, or pMDI, releases a measured aerosol dose when its canister is activated.

The patient needs to coordinate pressing the inhaler with a slow inhalation unless using an appropriate spacer.

Asthma + Lung UK advises that pMDIs should generally be used with a spacer where appropriate, while dry-powder devices do not use spacers.

Device selection matters because even a clinically appropriate medicine will work poorly if the technique prevents enough medication from reaching the lungs.

Key differences between common inhaler device types

Feature	Accuhaler / Diskus	Evohaler-style pMDI
Device type	Dry-powder inhaler (DPI)	Pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI)
How medicine is delivered	Patient's inhalation pulls powder from the device	Pressurized canister releases aerosol
Typical inhalation	Relatively forceful, deep inhalation according to device instructions	Slow, controlled inhalation coordinated with actuation
Spacer used?	No	Often recommended when appropriate
Dose counter	Common on many devices	Depends on specific product
Main technique challenge	Generating appropriate inspiratory flow and preparing the dose correctly	Coordinating actuation and inhalation
Can technique be assumed from another inhaler?	No	No

Safety: What Should You Know When Using a Purple Combination Inhaler?

A fluticasone/salmeterol inhaler should be used according to the prescribed schedule, and patients should know what medicine they are expected to use when symptoms suddenly worsen.

Do not use extra doses of a salmeterol-containing maintenance inhaler as an emergency treatment unless a clinician has specifically instructed you to do so. Seretide and Advair labeling both state that these products are not intended to relieve acute bronchospasm.

After using an inhaler containing a corticosteroid, rinse your mouth with water and spit it out. This can help reduce local steroid effects such as oral thrush.

Possible concerns with ICS/LABA medicines can include:

• oral thrush;

• hoarse voice or throat irritation;

• tremor;

• palpitations;

• headache; and

• corticosteroid-related effects with higher or prolonged exposure.

COPD patients using inhaled corticosteroids also need consideration of pneumonia risk.

Have your inhaler technique checked if your symptoms are poorly controlled, your device has recently changed, or you are uncertain whether you are using it correctly. Asthma + Lung UK emphasizes that correct device use is crucial because poor technique can be a reason treatment appears ineffective.

Seek urgent medical help for severe or rapidly worsening breathlessness, difficulty speaking because of breathing, blue or gray discoloration, marked drowsiness or confusion, or symptoms that do not respond to the reliever treatment in your asthma or COPD action plan.

Do not stop a maintenance inhaler suddenly because its color, brand, or device has changed. Check the medication name and speak with your pharmacist, asthma nurse, respiratory clinician, or prescriber if you are unsure.

Conclusion

A purple inhaler commonly refers to a combination maintenance inhaler such as fluticasone/salmeterol, including Seretide in the UK and Advair in the United States, but color is not a dependable way to identify respiratory medicine. Asthma and COPD treatment also differ: ICS/LABA combinations remain useful for selected patients, while current COPD guidance often favors LABA/LAMA or triple therapy depending on exacerbations and other clinical factors. Device technique matters just as much as the ingredients because dry-powder and pressurized inhalers are used differently. Check the medicine name, strength, and device on your prescription, and ask a healthcare professional to review your inhaler technique and action plan if anything is unclear.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What medicine is usually in a purple inhaler?

A commonly recognized purple inhaler contains fluticasone propionate, an inhaled corticosteroid, plus salmeterol, a long-acting bronchodilator. Seretide and Advair are well-known examples. However, inhaler colors are not standardized, so always check the active ingredients rather than identifying medicine by color alone.

2. Is a purple inhaler a preventer or a reliever?

Fluticasone/salmeterol purple inhalers are primarily maintenance or controller medicines rather than rapid rescue inhalers. They reduce inflammation and provide long-lasting bronchodilation. Because salmeterol-containing combinations are not intended for acute bronchospasm, follow your prescribed action plan for sudden breathing symptoms.

3. Are Seretide and Advair the same medicine?

Both brands contain fluticasone propionate and salmeterol, but available strengths, devices, approved uses, and dosing can differ between countries. They should therefore not be swapped based only on ingredient names or color. A pharmacist or prescriber should confirm an appropriate equivalent.

4. What is the difference between an Accuhaler and an Evohaler?

An Accuhaler is a dry-powder inhaler that relies on your inhalation to draw medicine into the lungs. An Evohaler is a pressurized metered-dose inhaler that releases an aerosol. Their breathing techniques differ, and a spacer may be used with a pMDI but not a DPI.

5. Can I use my purple inhaler during an asthma attack?

Do not assume a purple fluticasone/salmeterol inhaler is suitable for emergency relief. Salmeterol-containing combinations such as Seretide or Advair are not intended for acute bronchospasm. Use the reliever specified in your asthma action plan and seek urgent help when symptoms remain severe or worsen.

6. Why has my purple inhaler changed color or shape?

A different color or shape may reflect a change in brand, device, strength, or manufacturer rather than a completely different type of treatment. Check the active ingredients and prescribed dose carefully. If anything differs unexpectedly, ask your pharmacist or clinician before changing how you use it.