Drug Database
SA

salbutamol (Proventil HFA / Epaq / Airomir)

✓ Approved

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. · ADRB2 · Small Molecule

What is salbutamol?

salbutamol is a small molecule developed by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.. It is approved for therapeutic indications via inhaled or topical.

Drug Profile

Brand NamesProventil HFA, Epaq, Airomir
CompanyTeva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
Drug ClassSmall Molecule
Molecular TargetADRB2
RouteInhaled, Topical
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Mechanism of Action

Molecular Targets

salbutamol acts on 1 molecular target:

ADRB2adrenoceptor beta 2 (B2AR, ARB2)
Want deeper analysis?Noah AI can explain complex mechanisms and compare to similar drugs.

Therapeutic Indications

salbutamol is developed for 3 unique indications across 1 therapeutic area.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disordersAsthma✓ Approved
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disordersBronchitis chronic✓ Approved
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disordersEmphysema✓ Approved

Related Research Articles

PubMedCureus2026-07-17

Benefit of Salbutamol for the Treatment of Neuromuscular Junction Dysfunction in Patients With Purine-Rich Element Binding Protein A (PURA) Syndrome.

Yau Maggie L ML, Beck Cara C, Fung Eva L EL, Yiu Eppie M EM et al.

Purine-rich element-binding protein A (PURA) syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the PURA gene and is characterized by neonatal hypotonia, feeding difficulty, respiratory dysregulation, and severe developmental impairment. The PURA gene has recently been identified as a cause of congenital myasthenic syndrome. We report two unrelated infants with genetically confirmed PURA syndrome who were treated with neuromuscular junction-directed therapy and reviewed three additional published cases. All five patients had neonatal hypotonia and apnea or respiratory failure requiring respiratory support. Pyridostigmine was used in four of the five infants included with heterogeneous response, while salbutamol, used in three patients, was associated with clinical benefit in all. These findings suggest that neuromuscular junction dysfunction may contribute to the respiratory and motor phenotype in patients with PURA syndrome. Early consideration of salbutamol, with careful monitoring and objective outcome measurement, may help stabilize severe infantile respiratory failure and improve motor function.

PMID 42465702
Read full article →
PubMedPediatric pulmonology2026-07-17

Bronchodilator Responsiveness in Preterm-Born Children With Chronic Lung Disease: Importance of Individualized Testing.

Ophir Yotam Y, Tukova Jana J

Children born preterm with chronic lung disease of Immaturity (CLDI) frequently present with obstructive lung function, yet optimal bronchodilator therapy remains uncertain. Previous studies focused on β2-agonists, while evidence for muscarinic antagonist therapy is limited. We conducted a prospectively planned cross-sectional study of preterm-born children (< 35 weeks) with CLDI and obstructive spirometry (FEV1 z-score < -1.64). Of 73 screened, 64 were enrolled, and 55 completed the protocol. Each attended three randomized crossover visits with salbutamol, ipratropium bromide, or fenoterol/ipratropium combination. Spirometry was performed before and after administration. Overall, 48 children demonstrated bronchodilator responsiveness to at least one agent. Response rates were 56.4% for salbutamol (95% CI 43-70), 58.2% for ipratropium (95% CI 45-71), and 65.5% for the combination (95% CI 53-78), with no significant differences (McNemar's test, p = 0.45). Exclusive responses were observed in 9.1% to salbutamol (95% CI 3.0-20.0), 5.5% to ipratropium (95% CI 1.1-15.1), and 9.1% to the combination (95% CI 3.0-20.0). Among children with reversibility, repeated-measures ANOVA showed no significant difference in the effect of drugs (F = 0.1, p = 0.9), phenotype (F = 2.46, p = 0.12), or their interaction (F = 1.1, p = 0.34). In our cohort, 87% of preterm-born children with CLDI exhibit reversible bronchial obstruction, with a substantial subset responding exclusively to a single bronchodilator. Due to the fact that single-drug testing may underestimate reversibility, individualized bronchodilator testing should be incorporated into care, and its long-term implications merit further study.

PMID 42464428
Read full article →
PubMedJournal of hazardous materials2026-07-17

Mechanically driven aerosol emissions from electric toothbrushing: An overlooked indoor source with exposure and infection risk implications.

Li Yiqun Y, Tang Wenhao W, Liu Mingqi M, Li Siying S et al.

Indoor aerosol emissions are predominantly attributed to respiratory activities, whereas non-respiratory sources associated with routine hygiene behaviors remain largely overlooked. Here, we investigated aerosol generation during electric toothbrushing through 1290 controlled chamber tests involving human participants. Results showed that emissions were dominated by respirable fine particles, with over 85% below 2.5 μm, while ultrafine particle levels showed no clear increase relative to the pre-brushing baseline, indicating a distinct emission regime compared to respiratory processes. Emission dynamics exhibited structured temporal patterns with sustained release, rather than short-lived bursts. Across device-, product-, and subject-level factors, aerosol generation was primarily governed by toothbrush mechanics, with sonic toothbrushes producing consistently higher emissions than oscillating-rotating types, highlighting the role of bristle vibration frequency and amplitude, whereas toothpaste formulation showed secondary, mechanism-dependent effects, and inter-individual variability remained negligible. These findings suggest that mechanically induced liquid-film disruption dominates aerosol formation. Measured emission rates were comparable to those from speaking and approached the lower range of singing. Dose-response modeling further indicated that, under assumed pathogen concentrations and aerosol viability conditions, high-emission sonic brushing could produce modeled relative infection-risk estimates comparable to speaking, while Monte Carlo rank analysis placed it among the higher-ranked activity scenarios below singing. Notably, subjective perception did not reflect measured emissions, indicating an unrecognized exposure pathway. Overall, electric toothbrushing is identified as a previously overlooked, mechanically driven indoor aerosol source with non-negligible implications for exposure and infection risk, highlighting the need to incorporate hygiene-related emissions into indoor air quality and infection risk assessments.

PMID 42462613
Read full article →
PubMedEnvironmental science & technology letters2026-07-17

High Oxidative Potential Observed in Secondary Organic Aerosol Derived from Oil Sands Emissions.

Liu Qifan Q, Liggio John J, Li Kun K, Wentzell Jeremy J B JJB et al.

Oil sands operations in Alberta, Canada, are a large source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) with unknown health impacts. As a first step in closing this knowledge gap, the oxidative potential (OP), an established metric linking particle exposure to toxicological effects, of oil sands-derived SOA was investigated via OH-initiated oxidation. Experiments used a mixture of gas-phase precursors emitted from oil sands ore that is expected to be representative of mine-face emissions and three relevant single precursors (n-decane, m-xylene, and naphthalene) for comparison. The OP of the formed SOA in all cases was found to increase rapidly at short simulated photochemical ages (<1.5 days), followed by a decrease upon further oxidation (>2.5 days). This was driven by dynamic changes in SOA composition, particularly organic peroxides, quinones, and unsaturated carbonyls. The measured OP of oil sand ore SOA (OPOS) ranged from 38.0 to 60.3 pmol min-1 μg-1 over photochemical ages of 0.4-4.6 days. This range of OPOS is considerably higher than those reported for other types of aerosol particles typically present in the oil sands region, including the natural background (e.g., α-pinene and isoprene SOA). The results not only provide the first OP measurements of oil sands-derived SOA but also emphasize the importance of accounting for atmospheric aging when evaluating the oxidative potential of SOA.

PMID 42466071
Read full article →
PubMedRespiratory investigation2026-07-17

Inhaled granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: From pathogenesis to clinical practice.

Tazawa Ryushi R

Autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP) is a rare, diffuse lung disease characterized by surfactant accumulation in the alveoli, leading to impaired gas exchange and progressive respiratory insufficiency. It is caused by neutralizing autoantibodies against granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which disrupts the GM-CSF signaling required for alveolar macrophage maturation and surfactant clearance. Whole-lung lavage (WLL), the standard treatment for aPAP, improves oxygenation by removing accumulated surfactants, but is invasive and often must be repeated. An improved understanding of disease pathogenesis has shifted therapy toward restoring GM-CSF signaling, rather than simply removing alveolar material. Thus, inhaled recombinant human GM-CSF is a promising disease-directed therapeutic agent for aPAP. Direct delivery to the alveolar compartment is intended to restore GM-CSF signaling, while minimizing systemic exposure. Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated improvements in oxygenation, pulmonary function, and radiographic findings. Despite these advances, important questions remain unresolved because aPAP is rare and clinical studies have been limited, including the optimal dose, treatment duration, maintenance strategy, and the role of device-dependent drug delivery to the distal lung. This review summarizes the pathogenesis of aPAP, biological rationale for GM-CSF replacement, available formulations and aerosol delivery strategies, and clinical evidence supporting inhaled GM-CSF therapy. This review also discusses unresolved issues and future directions, including the potential contributions of quantitative models of aerosol deposition and pharmacokinetics to optimize treatment.

PMID 42462405
Read full article →
PubMedEnvironmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)2026-07-17

Linking oral microbiota to clinic air during ultrasonic scaling: Quantitative sequencing and CFD modeling reveal pathogenic aerosol emissions, infection risk, and control strategies.

Jin Yongjun Y, Liu Jia J, Liu Zhijian Z, Yuan Yaohua Y et al.

Microbial aerosols from dental procedures pose a recognized yet unquantified airborne infection risk. During ultrasonic scaling, we performed multi-site sampling (saliva, air, surfaces) and combined metagenomics with quantitative 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon sequencing to profile viral, bacterial, and fungal communities. Using size-resolved aerosol sampling and absolute quantification, we determined the emission strength and size distribution of pathogenic bacterial aerosols (PBA), which were key inputs for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations performed at ventilation velocities of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 m/s, corresponding to air exchange per hour (ACH) of 2.4, 4.7, and 9.4 h-1, respectively. We first linked patient oral microbiota to clinic aerosols, identifying a shared core of 51 viral, 55 bacterial, and 23 fungal families, of which three bacterial families (Streptococcaceae, Pasteurellaceae, Nocardiaceae) were pathogenic. The emission strength of PBA was ∼3.06×103 copies/min, with 66.7% concentrated in the 2.1∼4.7 μm fraction, a size associated with higher deposition in the lower respiratory tract. CFD simulations, fed with real pathogen concentrations and aerodynamic size spectra, revealed that increasing ACH from 0.1 to 0.4 m/s reduced PBA suspension (-26.4%) and surface deposition (-12.7%) during scaling, lowering the inhalation infection risk (IIR) at the dentist's position by 80.8% and keeping overall IIR below 25%. After scaling, lower velocity favours particle removal, supporting a dynamic ventilation strategy (high during treatment, low afterwards). This integrated framework provides a direct scientific basis for infection control in dental operatories.

PMID 42462951
Read full article →

+9996 more articles available with a free account

Sign up free to view all articles →

Ask about salbutamol