Privacy Policy

ASTRAZENECA PRIVACY STATEMENT

LAST UPDATED: JUNE 17, 2004

Introduction

AstraZeneca respects that privacy is important to you. The Information (as defined below) that we collect about you on this web site or through online communications with you will be maintained and used in accordance with this privacy statement and applicable laws, rules and regulations. This statement applies to Information (as defined below) collected online through this web site, or in collaboration with other online service providers, and does not apply to Information we may obtain about you through off-line resources and other communications. We may change this statement from time to time so we ask that you revisit this privacy statement to be sure that you are familiar with our current policies. In the event we make any changes to this privacy statement we will post these changes on this web site together with the date on which we made the most recent changes.

Collection of Information

AstraZeneca may collect through this web site or other online communications with you personally identifiable information about you, such as name, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, professional credentials or other similar information ("Information") when you voluntarily submit it. The Information we collect may be used to send you health and product-related materials, to develop products, services and programs that you may find useful, or to contact you. From time to time we may also request that you provide us with additional demographic, or other information that we may use to serve you better. Any Information you provide to us is held on a secured web server operated by AstraZeneca (or by an agent of AstraZeneca performing services on our behalf). We will not transfer, sell or rent Information to anyone, other than our affiliated companies worldwide, and external individuals and organizations working on our behalf, without your permission.

Through our web sites, AstraZeneca also collects non-personally identifiable information relating to such matters as: the total number of visits to our web sites, the number of visitors to each page of our web sites, the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of our visitors, and the time spent on our web sites. We use this information to understand how our visitors use our web sites so that we can improve the customer experience. We may also use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our servers, and for purposes of system administration. From time to time we may also share non-personally identifiable information with others.

AstraZeneca reserves the right to share your Information in order to respond to authorized information requests of government authorities or where required by law. Further, in the event we determine for business reasons to reorganize, sell or transfer a product or all or a part of our business, we may share your Information with third parties involved in such transactions, such as actual or prospective purchasers and business partners, in which case we will obtain written assurances that the Information will be appropriately protected.

Cookies

The use of cookies is now standard, and you will find them used by most major web sites. A cookie is a text file stored on a user's computer hard drive containing information about the user. Cookies can also enable us to track the interests of our users to enhance their experience on this site, and to deliver content specific to a user's interests. We will place a cookie in the web browser (eg. Internet Explorer or Netscape) file of your computer when you visit our site; we or an independent advertising company or other contractor whom we engage may also from time to time deliver a uniquely-numbered cookie to your web browser through an e-mail if you have opted-in to receive e-mail from AstraZeneca. You may delete or decline the cookie using the tools in your web browser, and you may still use our site; however, some parts of our site may not work properly for you.

Advertising

We sometimes use an independent advertising company to serve ads on our behalf across the Internet ("advertising company"). These advertising companies also help us analyze our advertising campaigns and the general usage patterns of visitors to our web sites. This is primarily accomplished through the use of cookies and/or action tags. Such companies may place these tags on our web sites or on other web sites. Used in conjunction with cookies, action tags are programmed by the advertising company to collect certain anonymous information about visitors to our web site and other web sites. This non-personally-identifiable information may be used to provide advertisements about goods and services of potential interest to you, or to improve your web site experience. The advertising company does not know the names, addresses, e-mail addresses or telephone numbers of web site visitors, and does not link online actions to an identifiable person. The advertising company reports the anonymous data that it collects on our behalf back to us without identifying specific web site visits (other than to our own Web sites). We use this information to improve our web sites and our advertising. In order to deliver more relevant content or advertising, from time to time we may link the information we receive to our customers' personally identifiable information. If we do link such data, it is treated under this policy as personally identifiable information as described above under Collection of Information. If you would like more information about this practice, or if you want to prevent an advertising company from sending and reading cookies and action tags on your computer, you can visit the advertising company's web site and opt out. Some links to third-party ad networks are (click to visit their site):

Minors

We do not knowingly collect any personal information from anyone under the age of 13, nor do we knowingly market our web sites to anyone under the age of 13.

Security

Please be advised that although we have tried to create a secured and reliable site for you, the confidentiality of any communication or material transmitted over the Internet cannot be guaranteed. We urge you to exercise caution when conveying personally identifiable information over the Internet. When disclosing any personally identifiable information, you should remain mindful that such information might be accessible by the public and, consequently, may be collected and used by others without your consent. You should also recognize that your use of the Internet and this site is solely at your own risk.

Links

As a convenience to you, AstraZeneca may provide links from this web site to other web sites maintained by independent third parties. This privacy statement applies solely to the information collected on this web site. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage you to be aware when you leave this site and to read the privacy policies of any web site that you may visit.

Contact Us

We welcome your questions and comments regarding this privacy statement and the use of your Information. If you have any questions about this privacy statement or about our use of Information, or if you would like to request any changes be made to your information, please contact the Information Center at AstraZeneca at 800-236-9933.

Indications and Important Safety Information, including boxed WARNING

  • SYMBICORT is indicated for the long-term maintenance treatment of asthma in patients 12 years and older
  • SYMBICORT is NOT indicated for the relief of acute bronchospasm and should not be initiated in patients during rapidly deteriorating or potentially life-threatening episodes of asthma
  • SYMBICORT is not indicated in patients whose asthma can be successfully managed by inhaled corticosteroids along with occasional use of inhaled short-acting beta2-agonists
  • WARNING: Long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists may increase the risk of asthma-related death. SYMBICORT should only be used for patients with asthma not adequately controlled on other asthma-controller medications (eg, low- to medium- dose inhaled corticosteroids) or whose disease severity clearly warrants initiation of treatment with two maintenance therapies. Data from a large placebo-controlled US study that compared the safety of another long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (salmeterol) or placebo added to usual asthma therapy showed an increase in asthma-related deaths in patients receiving salmeterol. This finding with salmeterol may apply to formoterol (a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist), one of the active ingredients in SYMBICORT (see WARNINGS in full Prescribing Information)
  • SYMBICORT does NOT replace fast-acting inhalers and should not be used to treat acute symptoms of asthma
  • SYMBICORT should not be used for transferring patients from systemic corticosteroid therapy. Particular care is needed for patients who are transferred from systemically active corticosteroids to inhaled corticosteroids. Deaths due to adrenal insufficiency have occurred in asthmatic patients during and after transfer from systemic corticosteroids to less systemically available inhaled corticosteroids
  • Patients who are receiving SYMBICORT should not use additional formoterol or other long-acting inhaled beta2-agonists for any reason
  • SYMBICORT should be used with caution in patients with cardiovascular disorders. Some patients may experience and increase in blood pressure or heart rate
  • SYMBICORT, like all medications containing sympathomimetic amines, should be used in caution with patients with cardiovascular disorders (especially coronary insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypertension), untreated hypokalemia, thyrotoxicosis, convulsive disorders, and in patients who are unusually responsive to sympathomimetic amines
  • Long-term use of orally inhaled corticosteroids, such as budesonide, a component of SYMBICORT, may affect normal bone metabolism resulting in a loss of bone mineral density. In patients with major risk factors for decreased bone mineral content, such as tobacco use, advanced age, sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, family history of osteoporosis, or chronic use of drugs that can reduce bone mass (eg, anticonvulsants and corticosteroids), orally inhaled corticosteroids may pose additional risk
  • Rare instances of glaucoma, increase intraocular pressure, and cataracts have been reported following the inhaled administration of corticosteroids, including budesonide, a component of SYMBICORT
  • Lower respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia, have been reported following the inhaled administration of corticosteroids, including budesonide, a component of SYMBICORT. In US clinical studies, the incidence of lower respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia, was low, with no consistent evidence of increased risk for SYMBICORT, compared to placebo
  • SYMBICORT should be administered with caution to patients being treated with MAO inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants, or within 2 weeks or discontinuation of such agents
  • The most common adverse events ≥5% reported in clinical trials, regardless of relationship to treatment, included nasopharyngitis, headache, upper respiratory tract infection, pharyngolaryngeal pain, sinusitis, and stomach discomfort

Please see WARNING in full Prescribing Information

This product information is intended for US Health Care Professionals only.

SYMBICORT is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.

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