Headache formoterol

Formoterol versus salmeterol In a randomized controlled trial in patients with COPD, formoterol had a faster onset of action with no signiflcant difference in treatment-associated adverse events (5.8% versus 1.5% with salmeterol) [45. Headache was the most common adverse event with formoterol (3.6%) bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infections were the most common adverse events with salmeterol (2.3% each). 

The efficacy and safety of formoterol when added to ICS was also assessed in a 52-week randomised controlled trial. This trial included 742 self-reported African Americans, older than 12 years of age, with moderate-to-severe asthma [34 ]. The patients were randomised to receive either budesonide/formoterol versus budesonide alone. Both arms of the study had similar safety characteristics, with the most frequently reported adverse effects being headache (9.5% of patients receiving the combination vs 7.7% in the budesonide arm), nasopharyngitis (6.9% vs 8.0%), sinusitis (4.0% vs 6.3%), and upper respiratory tract infections (5.8% vs 4.4%). 

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