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The basics of asthma treatment are well defined in the guidelines, however the criteria for the choice between fixed and free combinations of inhaled corticosteroids and long acting beta 2-agonist have not been clearly established.A modified Juniper questionnaire (using peak expiratory flow rather than maximal expiratory volume per second) was used by 421 general practitioners to assess asthma control in 861 adult patients (aged 47 +/- 17 years) having received inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta 2-agonist in a fixed (n = 413) or free (n = 448) combination for at least 6 weeks.Treatment groups were comparable for demographics, asthma history and severity as assessed by the physician. Despite better compliance to treatment in the fixed combination group and a mean daily dose of corticosteroids around two-fold greater compared with free combination group (913 +/- 450 micrograms/d vs 401 +/- 178 micrograms/d), the mean Juniper score was lower in the free combination group (1.60 +/- 0.94 vs 1.73 +/- 0.96) with a greater percentage of patients controlled (Juniper score2): 67.6% vs 60.8%. Other treatments for asthma were significantly less frequent with the free combination (14.2% vs 22.3%), as were local side effects and notably voice changes (3.3% vs 9.5%.The apparently greater efficacy/safety ratio of the free combination was probably due to the greater severity of asthma in the patients treated with a fixed combination. This highlights the interest of free combinations as first-line therapy for patient with mild to moderate asthma.