Double-blind trial of oral carbuterol in bronchial asthma.

A double-blind comparison of 2 and 3 mg oral doses of carbuterol, a beta sympathomimetic drug with preferential selectivity for bronchial smooth muscle, was made with 25 and 35 mg doses of ephedrine sulfate over a six-month period in 26 patients with bronchial asthma. Spirometry was done before and three hours after administration of 3 mg of carbuterol or 35 mg of ephedrine sulfate at intervals of two weeks and one, four and six months. The data suggest a cumulative improvement in pulmonary function status with continued oral carbuterol use over the six-month period. However, the clinical effectiveness of the drug on pulmonary function was not clearly distinguishable from that of ephedrine in the present study.