Formoterol is used to treat or prevent airway spasms due to asthma or COPD, as well as to prevent exercise-induced asthma attacks. The drug works by opening up the airways and allowing more air to get into and through the lungs. It comes in a capsule, which is punctured and inhaled using an Aerolizer. Common side effects of formoterol include shakiness, nausea, and chest infections.
Formoterol is made by Schering-Plough Corporation.
How Does Formoterol Work?
Normally, air moves easily into and out of the lungs through a network of airways. However, during an
asthma attack, the muscles around these airways tighten. This narrows the airways and makes it harder to breathe. This is called a bronchospasm.
Formoterol is part of a class of drugs called beta-adrenergic receptor agonists, or beta agonists for short. Beta agonists stimulate beta receptors in the body, including those on the muscles around the airways. This stimulation causes the muscles to relax, which opens up the airways and allows more air to get into and through the lungs. Formoterol is a long-acting beta agonist. It is not intended to treat an asthma attack once it starts. Rather, it is used twice a day in order to prevent attacks.
Formoterol also has some effects on decreasing the activity of mast cells in the lungs, which play an important role in inflammation and allergic reactions.
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