STUDY OBJECTIVES To compare the efficacy, safety, and effects on sleep quality of salmeterol and extended-release theophylline in patients with nocturnal asthma. DESIGN Randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, three-period crossover. SETTING Outpatients at a single center. Patients spent 1 night during screening and 2 nights during each study period in a sleep laboratory for completion of sl...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to clarify the association between morphological phenotypes according to the predominance of emphysema and efficacy of long-acting muscarinic antagonist and β(2) agonist bronchodilators in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS Seventy-two patients with stable COPD treated with tiotropium (n = 41) or salmeterol (n = 31) wer...

Indacaterol is a novel, inhaled, once-daily, ultra-long-acting β(2)-agonist bronchodilator recently approved in Europe for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of indacaterol compared with placebo and the twice-daily β(2)-agonist, salmeterol, as an active control. Patients with moderate-to-severe C...

Inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta2-agonists effectively control asthma symptoms and improve airway function. The effects of beclomethasone were compared with those of salmeterol on markers of eosinophilic inflammation in induced sputum in steroid-naive asthmatic subjects with moderate asthma. Fifteen moderate asthmatics were treated with either beclomethasone dipropionate (500 microg...

Patients with COPD are frequently prescribed inhaled corticosteroids (ICS); however, it is unclear whether the treatment with ICS might modify responses to inhaled bronchodilators. Two 6-month, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group studies of tiotropium 18 microg once daily, compared with salmeterol, 50 microg bid, had been conducted in patients with moderat...

Indacaterol is a novel beta2-adrenoceptor agonist in development for the once-daily treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The present study evaluated the relaxant effect of indacaterol on isolated human bronchi obtained from lungs of patients undergoing surgery for lung carcinoma. Potency (-logEC50), maximal relaxant effect (Emax) and onset of action were determined at ...

Since the optimal dose of salmeterol in asthmatic children has not yet been clearly defined, we compared the efficacy and duration of the protective effect of two doses of salmeterol (25 and 50 micrograms) against exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Twelve children (aged 7-14 yrs) with asthma were studied in a double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled design. On three separate days, exerci...

The occurrence of cardiovascular side effects is sometimes associated with the utilization of beta-adrenoceptor agonists. The most important causes of these undesirable pharmacologic actions are as follows: (1) direct stimulation of cardiac beta-adrenoceptors; (2) reflex activation of adrenergic mechanisms due to peripheral vasodilation; (3) hypokalemia; and (4) hypoxemia. The aim of this study...

BACKGROUND There is concern that long-acting beta agonist (LABA) drugs may increase the risk of asthma mortality. METHODS A meta-analysis was conducted of asthma deaths in randomised controlled clinical trials from the GlaxoSmithKline database that compared salmeterol with a non-LABA comparator treatment in asthma. The Peto one-step method was used to determine the risk overall (all studies) ...

INTRODUCTION Adherence to long-acting bronchodilator therapy for management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a critical clinical and cost issue. Low adherence is associated with relatively higher exacerbation rates and illness burden. PURPOSE To compare adherence between patients with COPD initiating therapy on tiotropium or fluticasone/salmeterol and examine the association...