What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Formoterol and salmeterol
Formoterol's FDA label of May 31, 2019 names salmeterol in its warnings and precautions section, and salmeterol's label names formoterol too. The formoterol label: “A 28-week, placebo-controlled US study comparing the safety of another LABA (salmeterol) with placebo, each added to usual asthma therapy, showed an increase in asthma-related deaths in patients receiving salmeterol …”
Check it at the source: the formoterol FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 31, 2019, Viatris Specialty LLC); the salmeterol FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 10, 2022, GlaxoSmithKline LLC).
What does the formoterol label say about salmeterol?
Formoterol label, warnings and precautionsA 28-week, placebo-controlled US study comparing the safety of another LABA (salmeterol) with placebo, each added to usual asthma therapy, showed an increase in asthma-related deaths in patients receiving salmeterol (13/13,176 in patients treated with salmeterol vs. 3/13,179 in patients treated with placebo;
Source: FDA drug label (Perforomist), Viatris Specialty LLC, effective May 31, 2019 (SPL set fb2fe258-fe2e-47f6-8adf-ca75bf6f90af), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the salmeterol label say about formoterol?
Salmeterol label, warnings and precautionsPatients using SEREVENT DISKUS should not use another medicine containing a LABA (e.g., formoterol fumarate, arformoterol tartrate, indacaterol) for any reason.
Source: FDA drug label (SEREVENT DISKUS), GlaxoSmithKline LLC, effective October 10, 2022 (SPL set 12d9728e-6b5c-4aee-bfb0-745e542ed2e4), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Formoterol | Salmeterol | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | COPD | Asthma, COPD |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $1.30 per mL 20 mcg/2 mL neb vial | $6.74 per unit 50 mcg |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once