LABA

Medical abbreviation · Respiratory

LABA
Stands forLong-acting beta2-agonist
CategoriesMedical

LABA stands for Long-acting beta2-agonist, a respiratory abbreviation.

Inhaled bronchodilator that relaxes airway muscle for 12 to 24 hours, including salmeterol, formoterol, vilanterol and olodaterol. LABAs are maintenance drugs for COPD and are used in asthma only together with an inhaled corticosteroid.

Example: COPD with daily dyspnea: LAMA/LABA combination inhaler once daily.

Usage notes

Concerns about asthma deaths with LABA used alone, highlighted by the SMART trial in 2006, led to an FDA boxed warning; large safety trials of ICS-LABA combinations led the FDA to remove the warning from combination inhalers in 2017. LABA monotherapy remains contraindicated in asthma. Formoterol's fast onset allows it to be used as a reliever in combination with budesonide.

More respiratory abbreviations

  • HSAT – Home sleep apnea test
  • HTX – Hemothorax
  • ICS – Inhaled corticosteroid
  • ILD – Interstitial lung disease
  • iNO – Inhaled nitric oxide
  • IPF – Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
  • LAMA – Long-acting muscarinic antagonist
  • LLL – Left lower lobe
  • LPM – Liters per minute
  • LRTI – Lower respiratory tract infection
  • LTOT – Long-term oxygen therapy
  • LUL – Left upper lobe

See all 109 respiratory abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.