Dopamine agonists help the brain to react better to dopamine, an important chemical which aids movement.

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Since dopamine agonists have lesser side effects, they are currently the first line of defense against PD.

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He said new therapies could be developed from orexin receptor agonists, which mimic the effect of orexin.

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But Serevent had been under suspicion from the start, and earlier beta agonists had stirred doubts for decades.

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Treatment often includes inhaled corticosteroids, to reduce inflammation, and long- and short-acting beta agonists like albuterol, to relax airway muscles.

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Understanding the mechanism of cannabinoid-induced analgesia has been increased through the study of cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids, and synthetic agonists and antagonists.

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Serevent was introduced in 1994, touted as longer lasting than older beta agonists like albuterol (12 hours versus 4 to 6 hours).

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Nationally, asthma deaths have eased recently, even as use of long-acting beta agonists has risen, Rickard notes, inconsistent with an epidemic of drug-induced deaths.

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Oral active versions of the narrower differentiation profiles mentioned above (agonists, dual pharmacology, conjugates) could be interesting, but gastric stability and adsorption may preclude those from working optimally and may conflate the risk profile.

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