Comparison of safety and efficacy of inhaled pirbuterol with metaproterenol.

This multicenter study was performed to compare the safety and efficacy of a new beta-2 selective beta agonist, pirbuterol, with metaproterenol. The study followed a double-blind parallel design evaluating 133 asthmatic patients for 12 weeks. There were essentially no clinical differences between groups and no differences in onset of action, peak effect, side effects, or development of tolerance between these two agents. Our conclusion is that pirbuterol is at least as effective and safe under conditions of chronic administration to asthmatics as metaproterenol and therefore can be considered a suitable alternative for therapy.