Fear as thousands of asthma inhalers recalled for not being safe for use.

Two brands of inhalers have been recalled over fears they not be correctly delivering potentially life-saving medication.

Asthma sufferers have been urged to check for faulty inhalers which could be putting thousands of lives at risk.

Two brands of inhalers have been recalled over fears they not be correctly delivering potentially life-saving medication.

More than 5.4million people in the UK affected by the condition are being warned to to check if they have specific batches of Ventolin Accuhaler inhalers, which are used for the emergency relief of asthmatic symptoms.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a patient level drug alert recalling two specific affected lots manufactured by Glaxo Wellcome UK Limited.

Experts warned that due to a manufacturing issue a small number of the devices are not delivering the full number of doses.

One lot of Seretide is being recalled from hospitals, pharmacies, dispensing practices, retailers and wholesalers in the UK

Two batches of Ventolin Accuhaler are being recalled

One lot of Seretide Accuhaler, used for the maintenance of preventative treatment of asthma, is also being recalled from hospitals, pharmacies, dispensing practices, retailers and wholesalers in the UK.

The recall of Seretide Accuhaler is only at pharmacy level because this is used for maintenance treatment as opposed to a reliever treatment.

More than 4,500 Ventolin 200mcg inhalers and 1,400 Seretide 50/250mcg inhalers are affected, a spokesman told The Sun Online.

Three people die from an asthma attack every day in the UK - but charity Asthma UK say two thirds of these deaths can be prevented if people get the correct treatment.

If this happens, they should seek medical advice and return any affected Accuhalers to their pharmacist for a replacement.

Only a small proportion of the two affected batches of Ventolin Accuhaler and the one affected batch of Seretide distributed to the UK market are defective.

pharmacy or their dispensing practice and speak to a pharmacist who will provide a replacement.

"We strongly encourage anyone to report any issues with their inhalers or other medicines or medical devices to MHRA via our Yellow Card Scheme."

Hampshire-based GP Dr Andy Whittamore said: "There may be a mark or tear in the foil strip of the Accuhaler devices.

"This tear could mean the inhaler doesn’t give you all the doses your inhaler is meant to.

"If you had the defective Ventolin Accuhaler inhaler (reliever) it’s really important you get a new one, because this is the inhaler you need if you have an asthma attack .

"Go and get a new inhaler from your pharmacist right away.

"Even if you’ve not had an asthma attack for a while, triggers can be unpredictable and you don’t want to be caught out without a working inhaler.

"Asthma attacks are serious and can be life threatening – so be prepared and always keep an effective reliever inhaler with you."

UK Asthma facts

• 5.4m people in the UK have asthma
• Every 10 seconds someone has a potentially life-threatening asthma attack
• Everyone knows someone with asthma, and yet not everyone knows it can kill
• Only 42% of people with asthma have an asthma action plan, even though you are 4 times more likely to end up in hospital without one
• 3 people die from an asthma attack every day in the UK: tragically two thirds of these deaths can be prevented
• Only a third of people with asthma have an annual asthma review with inhaler check and an asthma action plan
• The annual cost to the NHS of managing and treating asthma is more than £1 billion