A clinical and spirometric trial of a new ß receptor Stimulant drug, terbutaline, in asthmatic patients

Summary

Terbutaine, a new bronchodilator drug which has been shown in previous studies to possess more selective properties of bronchial muscle stimulation, has been shown in this study on asthmatic patients to be an effective and prolonged bronchodilator. In a double blind study, oral terbutaline 5 mg has been shown to be statistically more potent as a bronchodilator than oral orciprenaline 20 mg. In a second double blind study comparing the aerosol preparation of each drug, there was no statistically significant difference between terbutaline 0.5 mg and orciprenaline 1.5 mg, though the mean of the FEV₁ measurement of each patient was slightly higher at each point of measurement for terbutaline over a six hour period of measurement.

Terbutaline has proved acceptable to eight patients given 15 mg daily during a two week trial period without any statistically significant change in several haematological and biochemical measurements, and without any subjective side effects.