A comparative crossover study of two long-acting bronchodilator preparations

A comparative crossover investigation was carried out in 18 patients with reversible airways obstruction to assess the bronchodilator effectiveness of aminophylline and salbutamol in long-acting tablet form. Patients received treatment for 4 weeks with either salbutamol 8 mg tablets in a dose of 2 tablets b.d. or aminophylline 225 mg tablets in a dose of 1 tablet b.d. increasing to 2 tablets b.d. after 1 week. They were then crossed over to the alternative preparation for a further 4 weeks. Peak expiratory flow rates (PEF) were measured at weekly intervals. Results showed that the aminophylline tablets produced a highly significant (p less than 0.002) improvement in PEF values compared with salbutamol tablets when both treatment periods were considered, and patients considered they obtained longer lasting relief with the aminophylline preparation.