BACKGROUND In mild asthma exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is usually treated with inhaled short-acting β2 agonists (SABAs) on demand. OBJECTIVE The hypothesis was that a combination of budesonide and formoterol on demand diminishes EIB equally to regular inhalation of budesonide and is more effective than terbutaline inhaled on demand. METHODS Sixty-six patients with asthma (>12 ...

The effects of anticholinergic agents or long acting beta(2)-agonists on exercise capacity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) improves various out come measures but there is not enough double-blind study which included comparison of different medications. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of ipratropium bromide and formoterol on exercise capacity and also to determine...

The current guidelines on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) recommend the prominent use of bronchodilators, including long-acting β2-agonists (LABAs) and long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs), while inhaled corticosteroids are recommended only in patients with severe disease or frequent exacerbations. LABA-LAMA combinations are indicated when single bronchodilators are insuffici...

A nebulized formulation of formoterol, Perforomist, 20 microg/2 ml, has been available since 2007 for the maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We review the safety and efficacy data obtained during its development. In a dose-finding study, formoterol inhalation solution (FFIS) was similar to the formoterol originator, Foradil 12 microg DPI (FA) in patients with...

The aim of this study was to compare two budesonide/formoterol maintenance doses within the budesonide/formoterol maintenance and reliever therapy concept, and to identify possible patient characteristics at baseline which would predict a better response to a higher than standard maintenance dose (NCT00463866). A total of 8424 patients with symptomatic asthma when using an inhaled corticosteroi...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed-dose, single-capsule budesonide-formoterol combination, in comparison with budesonide alone, in patients with uncontrolled asthma. METHODS This was a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, phase III, parallel clinical trial, comparing the short-term efficacy and safety of the combination of budesonide (400 µg) and formoterol (12 µg), wi...

Tolerance to the bronchoprotective effects by long-acting beta2-agonists (LAB) in patients with asthma is not prevented by inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). This study examined whether oral prednisolone can restore the bronchoprotective effects of formoterol in 24 patients with persistent asthma already treated with ICS (at least 800 microg budesonide x day(-1) or equivalent) and LAB, using a para...

The anti-inflammatory properties of inhaled formoterol and ipratropium bromide, alone or in combination, were investigated in a rat model of chronic pulmonary inflammation with airspace enlargement induced by cadmium inhalation. At the end of the protocol, cadmium-induced increase of airway resistance was prevented by formoterol (4 mg/30 ml) or ipratropium (0.20 mg/20 ml). Formoterol elicited a...

BACKGROUND Asthmatics treated with long-acting beta-agonists have a reduced bronchodilator response to moderate doses of inhaled short acting beta-agonists during acute bronchoconstriction. It is not known if the response to higher doses of nebulised beta-agonists or other bronchodilators is impaired. We assessed the effect of long-acting beta-agonist treatment on the response to 5 mg nebulised...