FDA Drug Info Rounds, July 2010: Long-Acting Beta-Agonists (LABAs)

Posted by admin on June 5, 2011 under vioxx | 3 Comments to Read

Long-Acting Beta-Agonists (LABAs), a class of medications used for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), now have new recommendations in their drug mark intended to promote their safe use in the treatment of asthma. The agency required manufacturers to revise their drug marks because of an increased risk of severe exacerbation of asthma symptoms, leading to hospitalizations, in pediatric and adult patients, as well as death in some patients using LABAs for the treatment of asthma. FDA believes that when LABAs are used according to the recommendations outlined above and in the approved drug marks, the benefits of LABAs in improving asthma symptoms outweigh their risks of increasing severe asthma exacerbations and deaths from asthma. For more information, please see our website: www.fda.gov