Anti-inflammatory reliever therapy

In recent years, the AIR strategy has become the preferred treatment option in asthma management. The concept refers to the use of ICS along with rapid bronchodilators for reliever therapy. Traditionally, SABAs were used as rescue medication; however, accumulating efficacy and safety evidence has progressively shifted guidelines toward the use of ICS combined with fast-acting bronchodilators, rather than SABAs alone, across all levels of treatment severity. The AIR concept addresses both inflammation and symptoms, providing improved control and reducing exacerbation risk. Several studies have demonstrated the superiority of ICS-containing rescue treatments over rescue SABA across all asthma severities. Despite the strong evidence supporting AIR strategy, regulatory barriers, limited access to medication and patient/physician resistance limit its implementation in clinical practice in some countries. Overall, AIR offers a unified approach to asthma management, ensuring all patients benefit from an anti-inflammatory component in the reliever therapy.