I e-mailed my doctor not long after posting my question, and this is how she responded, which did put my mind at ease. I do trust this doctor, she's the best we've seen so far! Thank you for giving me a little peace of mind!
<i>No limit on questions-and this is a good one. The 2 ingredients in
Symbicort-foradil and pulmicort have approval for use in children down
to 5 and 6 years of age respectively. The reason that Symbicort does
not yet is the method of FDA testing-it goes to adults then children
greater than 12 and then children under twelve (about 5-6 years of age).
Symbicort will have that approval soon (according to the company)
because under law now, all medicines that can be helpful for children
must be officially studied. But why study a medication where both the
components have already been studied previously, used together (although
not in one pump)? This has to do with getting the medications to be
"brand name" so the companies are paid more. Safety, of course, is a
concern too I'm sure but as the Symbicort is been proven safe and
efficacious in adults and children 12 years and up and the components
are clearly safe in Sydney's age group-we feel comfortable prescribing
Symbicort in younger children. Lastly, chronological age is much less
significant than body weight/size so Sydney should be just fine. If you
have more questions, concerns, just call.</i>
Tracey, mom to Sydney 7 and Seth 3 both w/cf df508