Management of chronic airway obstruction: theophylline--is it still necessary?

Theophylline is a second-line drug for the symptomatic treatment of obstructive pulmonary diseases. It appears to be of particular value in the treatment of the more severe cases of airway obstruction. The likelihood of a therapeutic benefit and the safety of drug therapy can be increased markedly by an individually optimized theophylline therapy, that is, individual dosage and time of dosing, and monitoring the serum concentrations.