Table 2.

Asthma medications and the prohibited list (2019)—status and impact on sports performance

Asthma medication	Prohibited list status	Impact on sports performance
β-2 agonists
Short-acting β-2 agonists   Salbutamol (excluding inhaled)   Reproterol   Terbutaline	Prohibited (all selective and non-selective β-2 agonists, including all optical isomers)	Increased strength and sprint power following acute and chronic administration [44–47, 51–53] Improvement in submaximal endurance performance [50]
Long-acting β-2 agonists   Salmeterol (excluding inhaled)   Formoterol (excluding inhaled)   Indacaterol   Olodaterol   Tulobuterol   Vilanterol	Prohibited (all selective and non-selective β-2 agonists, including all optical isomers)	No data available
Other (intermediate acting)   Fenoterol   Higenamine   Procaterol	Prohibited (all selective and non-selective β-2 agonists, including all optical isomers)	No data available
Inhaled salbutamol	Permitted (maximum 1600 µg over 24 h in divided doses not to exceed 800 µg over 12 h)	No evidence to support improvement in aerobic capacity [34] or endurance performance [35–39]
Inhaled formoterol	Permitted (maximum delivered dose of 54 µg over 24 h)	Improved sprint performance [42]
Inhaled salmeterol	Permitted (maximum 200 µg over 24 h)
Corticosteroids   Betamethasone   Budesonide   Cortisone   Deflazacort	Prohibited in-competition only (systemic administration [i.e. oral, intravenous, intramuscular and rectal] of corticosteroids)	Improved time to exhaustion at sub-maximal intensities (~ 70% aerobic capacity) following acute [54, 55] and short-term administration [56–58]
Dexamethasone   Fluticasone   Hydrocortisone   Methylprednisolone   Prednisolone   Prednisone   Triamcinolone	Permitted at all times (inhaled administration of corticosteroids)	No impact on endurance performance [43]