Effects of high doses of celiprolol in asthmatic patients

Sixteen normotensive asthmatic patients received single doses of 400 and 600 mg of celiprolol and 100 mg of atenolol in this placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study. Pulmonary function was assessed by spirometry. Changes in forced one-second expiratory volume (FEV1) and mid-maximal expiratory flow (MMEF) following both doses of celiprolol were indistinguishable from the effects of placebo, whereas atenolol caused a significant reduction in both measurements of pulmonary function. Graded doses of albuterol, a beta 2-selective sympathomimetic administered at 15-min intervals starting 3 h after each treatment, as expected, caused bronchodilation. The overall bronchodilatory effects of this combined, beta-blocker plus albuterol treatment on pulmonary function were greatest after celiprolol 600 mg, followed in order by celiprolol 400 mg, placebo, and atenolol. Celiprolol 400 mg and 600 mg neither caused bronchoconstriction nor antagonized albuterol in this acute study. Because of its bronchosparing properties, even at high doses, celiprolol may offer an advantage over other, similar agents in the treatment of hypertension and angina in asthmatics.