Topic summary
Salmeterol
Salmeterol is a long-acting β2 adrenergic receptor agonist (LABA) used in the treatment and prevention of asthma symptoms and control of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms. Symptoms of bronchospasm include shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and chest tightness. It is also used to prevent breathing difficulties during exercise (exercise-induced bronchoconstriction).
It was patented in 1983 and came into medical use in 1990. It is marketed as Serevent in the US. It is available as a dry-powder inhaler (DPI) that releases a powdered form of the drug. It was previously available as a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) but was discontinued in the US in 2002. It is available as an MDI in other countries as of 2020.