Inhalation devices for long-acting β2-agonists: efficiency and ease of use of dry powder formoterol inhalers for use by patients with asthma and COPD

ABSTRACTBackground: Since the long-acting β2-agonist bronchodilator, formoterol, first became available for the treatment of subjects with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), generic forms of this agent have been launched in a variety of devices. It is timely to review the characteristics of the original dry powder delivery device, the single-dose Aerolizer, its in vitro performance and its comparability with other inhaler devices that are now available for delivery of formoterol.Scope: This review focuses on the performance of the formoterol Aerolizer inhaler in comparison with other inhalers. Publically available data (PubMed) on the device performance characteristics of the Aerolizer were reviewed and summarized, together with the results of comparative studies performed by the authors. Published studies (PubMed) on patient handling and inhaler technique that include the Aerolizer are described and studies comparing the clinical effect of formoterol in the Aerolizer with formoterol ...