Berger William E
Allergy & Asthma Associates of Southern California, Mission Viejo, California 92691-6410, USA.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2006 Jul;97(1):24-33. doi: 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)61365-8.
To discuss the clinical efficacy and safety of formoterol when used to relieve symptoms of asthma and prevent exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB).
A PubMed search was performed for articles published between 1997 and 2005 with the keywords formoterol, asthma, and long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist, with cross-referencing to identify peer-reviewed journal articles.
Published articles on the clinical use of formoterol for asthma or EIB were included as well as articles detailing the pharmacologic properties of the drug. To present a thorough review of the literature, published studies based on patient number, study design, or other measures of study quality were not excluded.
Formoterol is the only long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist that combines a rapid onset of action (within 3 minutes) with a long duration of effect (approximately 12 hours). Clinically, as recommended by asthma treatment guidelines, formoterol in conjunction with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) is a preferred treatment for moderate to severe persistent asthma. Significant clinical data support the use of formoterol in combination with ICSs for the treatment of asthma, with studies demonstrating improved pulmonary function and symptom scores and decreased need for maintenance ICSs and short-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists (SABAs) as relief medication. Recent studies also demonstrate that use of formoterol as needed as relief medication is associated with a prolonged time to exacerbation, improved pulmonary function, and decreased asthma symptoms. When used as monotherapy, formoterol provides protection against EIB. Clinical data also demonstrate that formoterol is safe and well tolerated even in high doses, with an adverse event profile similar to that of SABAs.
Overall, formoterol is safe and effective as adjunct controller therapy for moderate and severe persistent asthma and as monotherapy for EIB.
探讨福莫特罗用于缓解哮喘症状及预防运动诱发的支气管收缩（EIB）的临床疗效及安全性。
在PubMed上检索1997年至2005年间发表的文章，关键词为福莫特罗、哮喘和长效β2肾上腺素能激动剂，并交叉引用以确定经同行评审的期刊文章。
纳入已发表的关于福莫特罗用于哮喘或EIB临床应用的文章以及详细阐述该药物药理学特性的文章。为全面综述文献，基于患者数量、研究设计或其他研究质量指标的已发表研究均未排除。
福莫特罗是唯一一种起效迅速（3分钟内）且作用持续时间长（约12小时）的长效β2肾上腺素能激动剂。临床上，按照哮喘治疗指南的建议，福莫特罗联合吸入性糖皮质激素（ICSs）是中重度持续性哮喘的首选治疗方法。大量临床数据支持福莫特罗与ICSs联合用于治疗哮喘，研究表明其可改善肺功能和症状评分，并减少维持性ICSs及短效β2肾上腺素能激动剂（SABAs）作为缓解药物的使用需求。近期研究还表明，按需使用福莫特罗作为缓解药物与延长病情加重时间、改善肺功能及减轻哮喘症状相关。当作为单一疗法使用时，福莫特罗可预防EIB。临床数据还表明，即使高剂量使用福莫特罗也是安全且耐受性良好的，其不良事件谱与SABAs相似。
总体而言，福莫特罗作为中重度持续性哮喘的辅助控制疗法以及EIB的单一疗法是安全有效的。
