(R)-salbutamol in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease

Areas covered: In this review the authors show that (R)-salbutamol alone (generically known as levosalbutamol) provides beneficial beta beta(2)-agonist effects at a cellular level and in experimental models of airways disease. In addition the authors demonstrate that (S)-salbutamol opposes the desirable effects of (R)-salbutamol and can actually cause features of asthma and COPD in vitro and in experimental asthma. Expert opinion: Despite this strong body of experimental evidence, (R)-salbutamol has not shown consistent superiority over (S)- or racemic salbutamol in human asthma or COP