Mylan

The Dey unit of US drugmaker Mylan has launched Perforomist (formoterol fumarate) inhalation solution, which will be available through US retail pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities and home health care firms. The agent is indicated for long-term, twice-daily maintenance treatment of bronchoconstriction for emphysema and chronic bronchitis, also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The formoterol molecule is a rapid- and long-acting beta2-agonist that has been previously available in the USA in a dry-powder formulation and has 20 years of worldwide experience. Perforomist is the first and only Food and Drug Administration-approved nebulized form of this molecule. Nebulizers convert liquid medication into a mist that patients inhale through a mouthpiece or face mask.

Donald Tashkin, of the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, USA, said that, "since patients have difficulty adhering to complicated medication regimens, it's very helpful that Perforomist inhalation solution offers a twice-daily nebulized version of formoterol. I consider nebulization to be an especially effective way to deliver medication into the lungs, and this new product should provide a valuable treatment for COPD patients."