Resumen de The Future of Bronchodilators in COPD and Asthma

Mario Cazzola, Paola Rogliani, Maria Gabriella Matera

• Bronchodilators are still key elements in the treatment of both COPD and asthma and are likely to remain so for years to come.

  Therefore, requirement of new bronchodilators is critical. However, in recent decades there has been no discovery of new classes that could overcome efficacy and even safety concerns of what we currently have, namely 2-agonists and M3 muscarinic receptor (mAChR) antagonists, and albeit less effective, theophylline, which is an non-selective phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor.

  The development of new classes of bronchodilators is proving difficult and also burdened by great economic uncertainties because the costs involved in their research and development may outweigh any incremental improvement such drugs might have.

  Consequently, the logical approach has been to improve these “old” classes to ensure greater specificity and effectiveness as well as greater practicality of use.