A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the role of formoterol in the management of acute asthma

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of formoterol delivered by Aerolizer in the emergency department. Methods: A single-centre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel group study was conducted in patients seeking emergent care for an acute exacerbation of asthma. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 (salbutamol), receiving a total dose of 600 mg salbutamol (200+200+200) delivered by a meter-dose inhaler into a spacer device as two puffs at 20 min intervals; and group 2 (formoterol), receiving formoterol 24 mg (12+12) as two dry powder capsules each containing 12 mg of formoterol via Aerolizer at 20 min intervals. The peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was measured at baseline and 5 min after the second and third doses. Results: 60 subjects receiving salbutamol (n = 28) or formoterol (n = 32) completed the study. Age, gender, baseline PEFR, duration of asthma and previous medication were balanced between the two groups. Mean PEFR increased significantly over baseline values in both the salbutamol and formoterol groups (63% in the salbutamol group, p = 0.001, and 55% in the formoterol group, p = 0.001). No significant difference was observed in the increase in PEFR between the groups (p = 0.99, 95% CI 229.62 to 29.59). The proportion of patients reporting adverse events was similar in the two groups. Conclusion: Formoterol was found to be well tolerated and as effective as salbutamol in the management of acute asthma. Further studies are needed to follow the patients after discharge from the emergency room to compare the long-term effect of formoterol on patients' stability.

Salivary hypofunction: An update on aetiology, diagnosis and therapeutics

“…43 Appetite suppressants act by central mechanisms involving alpha-adrenoceptors, while indirectly cause secretion of protein by releasing noradrenaline from glandular nerve terminals. 44 Decongestants 45 and beta 2-agonists bronchodilators 46 are sympathomimetics drugs that also are associated with salivary dysfunction.…”

A Pharmacological Comparative Study of Arformoterol and Salbutamol Nebulization in the Management of Patients Suffering From Acute Non-Severe Bronchial Asthma

“…Dryness of mouth was the most reported side effect of formoterol inhalation in one study. 15 In our study, the greatest number of AEs were reported in the system organ class of central nervous system disorders, with headache and muscle tremors being the most commonly reported. In few studies, the impact of high-dose formoterol on heart rate, blood pressure, serum potassium, electrocardiogram changes, and arterial blood gas were assessed which showed identical changes comparable with salbutamol.…”

“…Several studies have shown the efficacy of formoterol in acute non-severe asthma, acute severe asthma, exercise induced bronchospasm, childhood asthma, and COPD. [15][16][17][18][19] Although few studies have shown clinically significant improvement in lung function (FEV1) with formoterol when compared with salbutamol, 16 most studies have shown a comparable efficacy. 15,17 Safety of formoterol is also well documented even at high doses in patients with asthma and COPD.…”

“…[15][16][17][18][19] Although few studies have shown clinically significant improvement in lung function (FEV1) with formoterol when compared with salbutamol, 16 most studies have shown a comparable efficacy. 15,17 Safety of formoterol is also well documented even at high doses in patients with asthma and COPD. 11,20 Although it is a long-acting drug, systemic effects with formoterol are as short as salbutamol.…”

A comparative study of efficacy and safety of arformoterol and salbutamol nebulization as rescue therapy in acute non-severe asthma

“…[13–17] Most of the studies have used formoterol with terbuhaler,[814] aerolizer,[13] or metered dose inhaler. [1718] However, studies using formoterol nebulization are lacking.…”