Some new asthma medications have posed concerns. The United States Food & Drug Administration has recently conducted studies on the use of long-acting beta-2 agonists (LABA). The FDA found that long-acting beta-2 agonists without the use of steroids can increase the risk of hospitalizations due to asthma and even death. Long-acting beta-2 agonists were once thought to be alternatives to inhaled steroids, but now it is strongly recommended that these medications be supplemented with the use of steroid medication.

The new asthma medications Serevent and Foradil are of concern. Long-acting beta-2 agonists, also called long-acting beta-2 adrenoreceptor agonists, work by relaxing the smooth muscles around the airways. This helps with airway constriction which is a common symptom of asthma that can make it difficult for asthma patients to breathe. These medications are often called bronchodilators. However, the long-acting beta-2 agonists do not reduce the inflammation of the airways. Therefore, asthma treatment that uses long-acting beta-2 agonists often includes other medications such as steroids to reduce inflammation.

Serevent and Fordil are not used as rescue inhalers. Long-acting beta-2 agonists are usually prescribed to be taken twice a day to prevent asthma symptoms. The effects of these medications last approximately twelve hours. They are sometimes used to prevent asthma symptoms in people with exercise-induced asthma and nocturnal asthma.

Advair was one of the long-acting asthma medications that the FDA tested. Advair contains salmeterol. Salmeterol is a long-acting adrenoreceptor agonist, also known as a bronchodilator. Serevent Diskus also contains salmeterol, but does not contain any steroid medication. Advair also includes an inhaled cortiscosteroid. By including corticosteroid, Advair treats the airway inflammation in addition to the airway constriction that long-acting beta-2 agonists treat. The FDA concluded that Advair use is not as much of a threat for hospitalizations and asthma-related death as the other long-acting beta-2 agonists that do not contain steroids.

The National Institutes of Health’s National Asthma Education and Prevention Program recommends that the doctor consider prescribing long-acting beta-2 agonists or other long-term controller medication in infants and young children who have had three or more episodes of wheezing in the last year, especially if the child is at risk of developing asthma due to the parents’ personal history of asthma or related conditions. They also recommend the use of long-term controller medication for children who have had to use their rescue inhalers two or more times a week due to asthma symptoms.