A global push for all children with asthma to use an inhaled corticosteroid whenever they use a reliever has been rejected by Australia’s peak asthma body.

The National Asthma Council Australia says there’s a lack of evidence for the new recommendation.

Earlier this year, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) declared the preferred preventer for children aged 6-11 with symptoms less than twice a month was an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) taken at the same time as a short-acting beta2-agonist (SABA).

It said concerns about SABA overuse in adults — which underpinned landmark advice in 2019 that adults and adolescents use combination budesonide-formoterol first line — were “also relevant to children and should be considered when initiating treatment”.