INTRODUCTION Commonly used adrenergic agonists in low cardiac output scenarios rely primarily on beta1adrenergic activation to stimulate cardiac function. Little is known about the use of beta2-adrenergic agonist administration for this purpose, although the associated vasodilation may be beneficial. This study was conducted in order to assess the efficacy of one such beta2-adrenergic agonist, ...

New long-acting beta 2-adrenoceptor agonists, salmeterol and formoterol, have recently been marketed for treatment of asthma, but studies comparing the clinical efficacy of the two drugs have not been published. We report on an asthmatic patient who had a striking difference in bronchodilating effect of the two drugs, formoterol being more effective than salmeterol both in immediate response an...

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. A total of 8,424 patients with symptomatic asthma when using an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) with o...

BACKGROUND There is no clinically useful score to predict chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. We aimed to derive this by analyzing data from three existing COPD clinical trials of budesonide/formoterol, formoterol, or placebo in patients with moderate-to-very-severe COPD and a history of exacerbations in the previous year. METHODS Predictive variables were selected usi...

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 ...

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is an inflammatory mediator that provokes neutropaenia, bronchoconstriction and gas exchange defects due to exudation of bulk plasma within the airways. While the inhibitory effects of short-acting beta2-agonists on PAF-induced disturbances have been consistently shown, those of long-acting beta2-agonists are less convincing. To further explore the mechanisms in...

The preclinical pharmacological profile of 6-hydroxy-8-[(1R)-1-hydroxy-2-[[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,1-dimethylethyl]amino]ethyl]-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one monohydrochloride (olodaterol, previously known as BI 1744 CL), a novel, enantiomeric pure, inhaled human beta(2)-adrenoceptor (hbeta(2)-AR) agonist, was compared with marketed drugs, such as salmeterol and formoterol. In vitro, olodaterol sho...

BACKGROUND β2-adrenoceptor agonists have been shown to reduce the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine release by human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). We compare the expression of β2-adrenoceptors and the inhibitory effect of formoterol and salmeterol on the LPS-induced release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and a range of chemokines (CCL2, 3, 4, and IL-8...

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to evaluate the comparative efficacy of indacaterol 75 μg once daily (OD), tiotropium 18 μg OD, salmeterol 50 μg twice daily (BID), formoterol 12 μg BID, and placebo for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on individual patient data (IPD) from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the indacaterol trial program and agg...

BACKGROUND The long acting beta2-agonists, salmeterol and formoterol, have been recommended, by some, as first line treatment of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We reviewed evidence of efficacy and safety when compared with placebo or anticholinergic agents in patients with poorly reversible COPD. METHODS After searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, HealthSTAR, BIOSIS Previews, PASCA...