Formoterol fumarateProduct ingredient for Formoterol

Formoterol is an inhaled beta₂-agonist used in the management of COPD and asthma that was first approved for use in the United States in 2001.¹⁰ It acts on bronchial smooth muscle to dilate and relax airways, and is administered as a racemic mixture of its active (R;R)- and inactive (S;S)-enantiomers.² A major clinical advantage of formoterol over other inhaled beta-agonists is its rapid onset of action (2-3 minutes), which is at least as fast as salbutamol, combined with a long duration of action (12 hours) - for this reason, treatment guidelines for asthma recommend its use as both a reliever and maintenance medication.¹⁸ It is available as a single-entity product ^10,16 and in several formulations in combination with both inhaled corticosteroids ^13,15 and long-acting muscarinic antagonists.^12,11