Formoterol 12microgram inhalation powder capsules with device
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
View Drug Analysis Profile
Suspected adverse reactions reported for Formoterol
Browse all iDAP reports
Interactive Drug Analysis Profiles for all medicines
Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
View EudraVigilance report
Suspected adverse reactions reported for Formoterol
About EudraVigilance
Learn about EU pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring
EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
7 branded products available
MHRA licensed products
View all licensed products for Formoterol on the MHRA register
Foradil 12microgram inhalation powder capsules with device
Foradil 12microgram inhalation powder capsules with device
Foradil 12microgram inhalation powder capsules with device
Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd
Foradil 12microgram inhalation powder capsules with device
Mawdsley-Brooks & Company Ltd
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
24 microgram
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
NICE clinical guidance(1)
Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
Pharmacy stock checkers
Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & safety information
Official UK regulator monitoring and safety alerts
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. Shortage and safety information sourced from MHRA drug safety updates (gov.uk, Crown Copyright under OGL v3.0).
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 16 · Randomised trials: 17 · 1997–2025
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
G. Ferguson, K. Rabe, F. Martinez, et al.
The Lancet. Respiratory medicine, 2018
J. Hardy, C. Baggott, J. Fingleton, et al.
Lancet, 2019
F. Martinez, K. Rabe, G. Ferguson, et al.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2020
P. O'Byrne, P. Barnes, R. Rodríguez-Roisín, et al.
American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 2001
L. Hatter, P. Bruce, I. Braithwaite, et al.
ERJ Open Research, 2021
Mitesh K. Patel, J. Pilcher, A. Pritchard, et al.
The Lancet. Respiratory medicine, 2013
Fulvio Braido, Ioanna Vlachaki, Georgios F. Nikolaidis, et al.
Scientific Reports, 2025
Piyush Thathera, Aakriti Garg, Shaista Ahmed, et al.
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 2025
A. Papi, M. Corradi, C. Pigeon-Francisco, et al.
The Lancet. Respiratory medicine, 2013
P. O'Byrne, M. Fitzgerald, E. Bateman, et al.
The New England Journal of Medicine, 2018
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
7-10 hours
Mechanism
Formoterol is a relatively selective long-acting agonist of beta2-adrenergic rec…
Food interactions
None known
Human targets
3 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
43%
Half-life
7-10 hours
[L10986][L11223][A189537]…
Protein binding
31%
Metabolism
[L10986][A189606]…
Elimination
59-62%
Clearance
157 mL/min
[L10986]
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
[L10619]
For the treatment of asthma, formoterol is available in combination with [mometasone furoate] for patients 5 years and older[L10995] and with budesonide for patients 6 years and older.
[L10619]
Formoterol may also be used on an as-needed basis for prophylaxis against exercise-induced bronchospasm.
[L10998]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1443 interactions
[L11241]
Symptoms of overdose are likely consistent with formoterol's adverse effect profile (i.e. consistent with excessive beta-adrenergic stimulation) and may include angina, hyper or hypotension, tachycardia, arrhythmia, nervousness, headache, tremor, seizures, dry mouth, etc. Patients may experience laboratory abnormalities including hypokalemia, hyperglycemia, and metabolic acidosis.
[L10986]
Treatment of overdosage should consist of symptomatic and supportive therapy, with a particular focus on cardiac monitoring. Consider the use of a cardioselective beta-adrenergic blocker to oppose excessive adrenergic stimulation if clinically appropriate.
[L10986]
On a molecular level, activation of beta receptors by agonists like formoterol stimulates intracellular adenylyl cyclase, an enzyme responsible for the conversion of ATP to cyclic AMP (cAMP). The increased levels of cAMP in bronchial smooth muscle tissue result in relaxation of these muscles and subsequent dilation of the airways, as well as inhibition of the release of hypersensitivity mediators (e.g. histamine, leukotrienes) from culprit cells, especially mast cells.[L10986]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[L11223]
Formoterol is rapidly absorbed into plasma following inhalation. In healthy adults, formoterol Tmax ranged from 0.167 to 0.5 hours.
[L10995]
Following a single dose of 10 mcg, Cmax and AUC were 22 pmol/L and 81 pmol.h/L, respectively. In asthmatic adult patients, Tmax ranged from 0.58 to 1.97 hours.
[L10995]
Following single-dose administration of 10mcg, Cmax and AUC0-12h were 22 pmol/L and 125 pmol.h/L, respectively; following multiple-dose administration of 10 mcg, Cmax and AUC0-12h were 41 pmol/L and 226 pmol.h/L, respectively.
Absorption appears to be proportional to dose across standard dosing ranges.
[L10995][L10986]
[L10986][L11223][A189537]
The plasma half-life of formoterol has been estimated to be 3.4 hours following oral administration and 1.7-2.3 hours following inhalation.
[A1533]
[L10986]
[L10986][A189606]
Minor pathways include sulfate conjugation of the parent drug and deformylation of the parent drug followed by sulfate conjugation, though these minor pathways have not been fully characterized. The major pathway of formoterol metabolism is a direct glucuronidation of the parent drug at its phenolic hydroxyl group, while the second most prominent pathway involves O-demethylation following by glucuronidation at the phenolic hydroxyl group.
[L10986][A189606]
In vitro studies of formoterol disposition indicate that O-demethylation of formoterol involves a number of cytochrome P450 isoenzymes (CYP2D6, CYP2C19, CYP2C9, and CYP2A6) and glucuronidation involves a number of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase isoenzymes (UGT1A1, UGT1A8, UGT1A9, UGT2B7, and UGT2B15), though specific roles for individual enzymes have not been elucidated.
[L10986]
[L10998]
Another study which attempted to mimic inhalation via combined intravenous/oral administration noted approximately 62% of the administered dose in the urine and 24% in the feces.
[A189606]
Following inhalation in patients with asthma, approximately 10% and 15-18% of the administered dose was excreted in urine as unchanged parent drug and direct formoterol glucuronides, respectively, and corresponding values in patients with COPD were 7% and 6-9%, respectively.
[L10998]
[L10986]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
Involved in the regulation of sleep/wake behaviors PMID:31473062
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that transport this drug across cell membranes
PMID:11388889 PMID:11408531 PMID:12439218 PMID:12719534 PMID:15389554 PMID:16263091 PMID:16272756 PMID:16581093 PMID:19536068 PMID:21128598 PMID:23680637 PMID:24961373 PMID:34040533 PMID:9187257 PMID:9260930 PMID:9655880
Functions as a pH- and Na(+)-independent, bidirectional transporter (By similarity). Cation cellular uptake or release is driven by the electrochemical potential (i.e. membrane potential and concentration gradient) and substrate selectivity (By similarity). Hydrophobicity is a major requirement for recognition in polyvalent substrates and inhibitors (By similarity).
Primarily expressed at the basolateral membrane of hepatocytes and proximal tubules and involved in the uptake and disposition of cationic compounds by hepatic and renal clearance from the blood flow (By similarity). Most likely functions as an uptake carrier in enterocytes contributing to the intestinal elimination of organic cations from the systemic circulation .
PMID:16263091
Transports endogenous monoamines such as N-1-methylnicotinamide (NMN), guanidine, histamine, neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and adrenaline .
PMID:12439218 PMID:24961373 PMID:35469921 PMID:9260930
Also transports natural polyamines such as spermidine, agmatine and putrescine at low affinity, but relatively high turnover .
PMID:21128598
Involved in the hepatic uptake of vitamin B1/thiamine, hence regulating hepatic lipid and energy metabolism .
PMID:24961373
Mediates the bidirectional transport of acetylcholine (ACh) at the apical membrane of ciliated cell in airway epithelium, thereby playing a role in luminal release of ACh from bronchial epithelium .
PMID:15817714
Transports dopaminergic neuromodulators cyclo(his-pro) and salsolinol with lower efficency .
PMID:17460754
Also capable of transporting non-amine endogenous compounds such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and prostaglandin F2-alpha (PGF2-alpha) .
PMID:11907186
May contribute to the transport of cationic compounds in testes across the blood-testis-barrier (Probable). Also involved in the uptake of xenobiotics tributylmethylammonium (TBuMA), quinidine, N-methyl-quinine (NMQ), N-methyl-quinidine (NMQD) N-(4,4-azo-n-pentyl)-quinuclidine (APQ), azidoprocainamide methoiodide (AMP), N-(4,4-azo-n-pentyl)-21-deoxyajmalinium (APDA) and 4-(4-(dimethylamino)styryl)-N-methylpyridinium (ASP) PMID:11408531 PMID:15389554 PMID:35469921 PMID:9260930
PMID:10196521 PMID:10966924 PMID:12538837 PMID:17460754 PMID:20858707
Cation cellular uptake or release is driven by the electrochemical potential, i.e. membrane potential and concentration gradient .
PMID:10966924
Functions as a Na(+)- and Cl(-)-independent, bidirectional uniporter .
PMID:12538837
Implicated in monoamine neurotransmitters uptake such as dopamine, adrenaline/epinephrine, noradrenaline/norepinephrine, histamine, serotonin and tyramine, thereby supporting a role in homeostatic regulation of aminergic neurotransmission in the brain .
PMID:10196521 PMID:16581093 PMID:20858707
Transports dopaminergic neuromodulators cyclo(his-pro) and salsolinol with low efficiency .
PMID:17460754
May be involved in the uptake and disposition of cationic compounds by renal clearance from the blood flow .
PMID:10966924
May contribute to regulate the transport of cationic compounds in testis across the blood-testis-barrier (Probable). Mediates the transport of polyamine spermidine and putrescine (By similarity). Mediates the bidirectional transport of polyamine agmatine .
PMID:12538837
Also transports guanidine .
PMID:10966924
May also mediate intracellular transport of organic cations, thereby playing a role in amine metabolism and intracellular signaling (By similarity)
PMID:10215651 PMID:15107849 PMID:15795384 PMID:16729965 PMID:20601551 PMID:22206629 PMID:22569296 PMID:29530864
Functions as a Na(+)-dependent and pH-dependent high affinity microbial symporter of potent food-derived antioxidant ergothioeine .
PMID:15795384 PMID:29530864 PMID:33124720
Transports one sodium ion with one ergothioeine molecule (By similarity). Involved in the absorption of ergothioneine from the luminal/apical side of the small intestine and renal tubular cells, and into non-parenchymal liver cells, thereby contributing to maintain steady-state ergothioneine level in the body .
PMID:20601551
Also mediates the bidirectional transport of acetycholine, although the exact transport mechanism has not been fully identified yet .
PMID:22206629
Most likely exports anti-inflammatory acetylcholine in non-neuronal tissues, thereby contributing to the non-neuronal cholinergic system .
PMID:22206629 PMID:22569296
Displays a general physiological role linked to better survival by controlling inflammation and oxidative stress, which may be related to ergothioneine and acetycholine transports .
PMID:15795384 PMID:22206629
May also function as a low-affinity Na(+)-dependent transporter of L-carnitine through the mitochondrial membrane, thereby maintaining intracellular carnitine homeostasis .
PMID:10215651 PMID:15107849 PMID:16729965
May contribute to regulate the transport of cationic compounds in testis across the blood-testis-barrier PMID:35307651
PMID:10454528 PMID:10525100 PMID:10966938 PMID:17509700 PMID:20722056 PMID:33124720
Also transports organic cations such as tetraethylammonium (TEA) without the involvement of sodium.
Relative uptake activity ratio of carnitine to TEA is 11.3 .
PMID:10454528 PMID:10525100 PMID:10966938
In intestinal epithelia, transports the quorum-sensing pentapeptide CSF (competence and sporulation factor) from B.subtilis which induces cytoprotective heat shock proteins contributing to intestinal homeostasis .
PMID:18005709
May also contribute to regulate the transport of organic compounds in testis across the blood-testis-barrier (Probable)
Proteins that carry this drug through the body
PMID:19021548
Major calcium and magnesium transporter in plasma, binds approximately 45% of circulating calcium and magnesium in plasma (By similarity).
Potentially has more than two calcium-binding sites and might additionally bind calcium in a non-specific manner (By similarity). The shared binding site between zinc and calcium at residue Asp-273 suggests a crosstalk between zinc and calcium transport in the blood (By similarity). The rank order of affinity is zinc > calcium > magnesium (By similarity).
Binds to the bacterial siderophore enterobactin and inhibits enterobactin-mediated iron uptake of E.coli from ferric transferrin, and may thereby limit the utilization of iron and growth of enteric bacteria such as E.coli .
PMID:6234017
Does not prevent iron uptake by the bacterial siderophore aerobactin PMID:6234017
ATC R03AL09
ATC R03AL05
ATC R03AK09
ATC R03AL10
ATC R03CC15
ATC R03AL11
ATC R03AL07
ATC R03AK08
ATC R03AC13
ATC R03AK07
ATC R03AK11
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Show
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Formoterol
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
11381
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
12633
ChemSpider
3292
BindingDB
86453
Guide to Pharmacology
3465
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:286
GenAtlas
ADRB2
GeneCards
ADRB2
GenBank Gene Database
Y00106
GenBank Protein Database
29371
Guide to Pharmacology
29
UniProt Accession
ADRB2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:285
GenAtlas
ADRB1
GeneCards
ADRB1
GenBank Gene Database
J03019
GenBank Protein Database
178200
Guide to Pharmacology
28
UniProt Accession
ADRB1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:288
GenAtlas
ADRB3
GeneCards
ADRB3
GenBank Gene Database
M29932
GenBank Protein Database
178896
Guide to Pharmacology
30
UniProt Accession
ADRB3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2625
GenAtlas
CYP2D6
GeneCards
CYP2D6
GenBank Gene Database
M20403
GenBank Protein Database
181350
Guide to Pharmacology
1329
UniProt Accession
CP2D6_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2621
GeneCards
CYP2C19
GenBank Gene Database
M61854
GenBank Protein Database
181344
Guide to Pharmacology
1328
UniProt Accession
CP2CJ_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2623
GenAtlas
CYP2C9
GeneCards
CYP2C9
GenBank Gene Database
AY341248
Guide to Pharmacology
1326
UniProt Accession
CP2C9_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2610
GenAtlas
CYP2A6
GeneCards
CYP2A6
GenBank Gene Database
X13897
Guide to Pharmacology
1321
UniProt Accession
CP2A6_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:12540
GeneCards
UGT1A8
GenBank Gene Database
AF030310
GenBank Protein Database
2613044
UniProt Accession
UD18_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:12541
GeneCards
UGT1A9
GenBank Gene Database
S55985
GenBank Protein Database
7690346
UniProt Accession
UD19_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:12554
GeneCards
UGT2B7
GenBank Gene Database
J05428
GenBank Protein Database
340080
UniProt Accession
UD2B7_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:12546
GeneCards
UGT2B15
UniProt Accession
UDB15_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:12530
GeneCards
UGT1A1
GenBank Gene Database
M57899
GenBank Protein Database
184473
Guide to Pharmacology
2990
UniProt Accession
UD11_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:399
GenAtlas
ALB
GeneCards
ALB
GenBank Gene Database
V00494
GenBank Protein Database
28590
UniProt Accession
ALBU_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:10963
GeneCards
SLC22A1
GenBank Gene Database
X98332
GenBank Protein Database
2511670
Guide to Pharmacology
1019
UniProt Accession
S22A1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:10967
GeneCards
SLC22A3
GenBank Gene Database
AJ001417
GenBank Protein Database
3581982
Guide to Pharmacology
1021
UniProt Accession
S22A3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:10968
GenAtlas
SLC22A4
GeneCards
SLC22A4
GenBank Gene Database
AB007448
GenBank Protein Database
2605501
UniProt Accession
S22A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:10969
GenAtlas
SLC22A5
GeneCards
SLC22A5
GenBank Gene Database
AF057164
GenBank Protein Database
3273741
UniProt Accession
S22A5_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications:
Show earlier publications
Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
ATC classifications (Wikidata)
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q637247), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. WHO INN from the World Health Organization.