Cardiovascular safety of new inhaled medications for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a critical review from pharmacist perspective

Individuals with chronic respiratory disorder often have cardiovascular comorbidities and are more vulnerable to adverse effects from medication. Inhaler medications are effective in managing many respiratory diseases, but some have concern about its potential cardiovascular effect from long-term therapy and inappropriate use of these drugs. In the past few years, new members of inhaled long-acting beta-2 agonists and anticholinergics have become available. Based on the published data we reviewed, the adverse cardiovascular effects of these drugs are relatively low, and largely comparable to existing agents. However, most of the studies have very strict selection criteria for subjects, with limited study periods. Therefore, some level of concern remains with the clinical use of these agents, often in patients with substantial cardiovascular or other comorbidities, and are likely to use these drug for very long periods. Perhaps the monitoring of therapeutic efficacy and toxicity by laboratory methods needs to be further explored.