Risks of Long-Acting Beta-Agonists in Achieving Asthma Control

Abstract

In early December 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held an unusual joint meeting of the Pulmonary–Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee, the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, and the Pediatric Advisory Committee to consider the safety of long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs). The meeting is described in detail in a Perspective in this issue of the Journal by Kramer,1 who points out that decision making by the advisers and the FDA was hampered by the lack of data about the safety of LABAs. LABAs, which are administered by inhalation, act by effecting prolonged stimulation of the β2-adrenergic receptor. . . .