May 24 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who took the combination asthma treatment Symbicort reported improved quality of life and satisfaction with asthma therapy, compared to patients who took either of the drug's two components alone.

Symbicort -- a combination of the inhaled corticosteroid budesonide and the long-acting beta agonist, formoterol fumarate dehydrate -- was recently approved for the long-term maintenance of asthma in people 12 and older.

The first of two 12-week studies included 553 patients with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma, while the second study included 390 patients with mild-to-moderate asthma previously treated with inhaled corticosteroids.

Both studies were funded by AstraZeneca, the maker of Symbicort.

"Asthma is a chronic disease that can have a significant effect on patient's day-to-day routine, including participating in activities, such as walking to the store or even playing with their children," Dr. Kevin R. Murphy, a clinical professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said in a prepared statement.

"For the millions of asthma sufferers in the U.S., and especially for those whose condition is not adequately controlled with their current medication, Symbicort will provide a new option for patients to help manage and control their asthma, allowing them to get back to their daily activities," Murphy said.

The findings were to be presented this week at the American Thoracic Society's international conference in San Francisco.