No, Anoro Ellipta is not a steroid. It is a steroid-free inhaler that contains two bronchodilators: umeclidinium and vilanterol. Neither of these ingredients is a corticosteroid, and the inhaler works entirely by relaxing the muscles around your airways rather than reducing inflammation the way steroids do.
What Anoro Ellipta Actually Contains
Anoro Ellipta combines two drugs from different classes, both designed to open your airways through separate pathways. Umeclidinium is a long-acting anticholinergic (called a LAMA). It works by blocking signals that tell the smooth muscle around your airways to tighten. Vilanterol is a long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA). It triggers the muscles lining your airways to relax, making it easier to breathe. Together, these two bronchodilators target airway narrowing from two different angles, but neither one reduces inflammation the way a corticosteroid would.
The inhaler is FDA-approved specifically for the maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is not approved for asthma. In fact, the FDA labeling explicitly warns against using a LABA like vilanterol without an inhaled corticosteroid in asthma patients, which is one reason this distinction matters.
Why People Confuse It With a Steroid Inhaler
The confusion is understandable. Many COPD and asthma inhalers do contain steroids, and several of them use the same Ellipta device. Trelegy Ellipta, for example, contains the same two bronchodilators found in Anoro (umeclidinium and vilanterol) plus fluticasone furoate, which is an inhaled corticosteroid. That third ingredient is what makes Trelegy a steroid-containing inhaler. Anoro simply leaves it out.
Other common inhalers like Breo Ellipta also pair vilanterol with fluticasone, reinforcing the assumption that anything in the Ellipta lineup includes a steroid. But Anoro is the version designed for people whose treatment plan calls for bronchodilation alone, without the anti-inflammatory component.
How This Affects Side Effects
Because Anoro contains no corticosteroid, it does not carry the steroid-specific side effects that many people worry about with inhaled medications. Oral thrush (a yeast infection in the mouth), hoarseness, and long-term concerns like reduced bone density are all associated with inhaled corticosteroids. You won’t face those risks with Anoro.
That said, Anoro’s bronchodilator ingredients come with their own side effect profile. The anticholinergic component can cause dry mouth, constipation, and urinary retention. The LABA component may increase heart rate or cause heart palpitations in some people. These effects are related to how each drug relaxes smooth muscle throughout the body, not just in the lungs.
When a Steroid-Free Inhaler Is Used
For many people with COPD, a dual bronchodilator like Anoro is a reasonable maintenance option when airway narrowing is the primary problem. If inflammation plays a bigger role, or if symptoms aren’t well controlled on bronchodilators alone, a prescriber may switch to a combination that includes a corticosteroid, such as Trelegy Ellipta or Breo Ellipta.
The choice between a steroid-free inhaler and one that includes a corticosteroid depends on the severity and pattern of your symptoms, how frequently you experience flare-ups, and your individual risk factors. If you’re currently on Anoro and wondering whether you need a steroid component, that’s a conversation worth having with whoever manages your COPD care.