Formoterol belongs to the family of prescription-only medicines known as beta 2-agonists. It is used to help prevent the symptoms of asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), depending on the brand used, and is available in both dry-powder inhalers (DPIs) and pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDIs). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term for a group of respiratory tract diseases that are characterised by airflow obstruction or limitation. ...

Formoterol is a long-acting beta-adrenoceptor agonist (LABA), which is usually prescribed as a replacement to a short acting beta-2 adrenoceptor agonist, such as salbutamol, and a corticosteroid, such as beclometasone. The primary noticable difference of formoterol to salbutamol is that the duration is action lasts approximately 12 hours in comparison with 4-6 hours of salbutamol. Salbutamol (INN) or albuterol (USAN) is a short-acting β2-adrenergic receptor agonist used for the relief of bronchospasm in conditions such as asthma and COPD. It is marketed by the Allen & Hanburys respiratory division of GlaxoSmithKline under the trade name Ventolin. ... In physiology, corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones that are produced in the adrenal cortex. ... Beclometasone is an inhaled corticosteroid drug for the use of prophylaxis of asthma. ...

When used regularly every day as presecribed, inhaled formoterol decreases the number and severity of asthma attacks. However, it is not for use for relieving an asthma attack that has already started.

Inhaled formoterol works like other beta 2-agonists, causing bronchodilatation by relaxing the smooth muscle in the airway so as to treat the exacerbation of asthma. The long duration of formoterol action occurs by the formoterol molecules initially diffusing into the plasma membrane of the lung cells, and then slowly being released back outside the cell where they can come into contact with the beta-2 adrenoceptors. Formoterol has been demonstrated to have a faster onset of action than salmeterol as a result of a lower lipophilicity, and has also been demonstrated to be more potent - a 12µg dose of formoterol has been demonstrated to be equivalent to a 50µg dose of salmeterol. Salmeterol (marketed as Serevent by GlaxoSmithKline) is a long-acting β-2 agonist drug used to treat asthma and similar respiratory diseases. ...