Abstract

This review analyses the patents published during the period January 1998 to August 2001 concerning bronchodilators, with special emphasis on their applications for the most important pulmonary diseases, which include asthma and COPD. Bronchodilators are the mainstay for the COPD and asthma therapies, according to the recommendations of different guidelines about their treatment. Bronchodilator drugs include beta(2)-agonists, anticholinergics and theophyllines. In addition, the leukotriene antagonists and phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors have also been included in this review, due to their incidence and relevance in the treatment of these pulmonary diseases.