The absorption of albuterol from a single 4-mg oral dose of Volmax and Proventil Repetabs was investigated under both fasting and fed conditions in an open-label, randomized, four-period, crossover study in 24 healthy male volunteers. Blood was collected for determination of albuterol plasma concentrations by HPLC over 30 hours postdose. Twenty subjects were evaluable for data analysis. The mean Cmax for Volmax; administered after a meal was 19% lower than that of the drug administered in a fasting state (3.9 ng/mL vs. 4.8 ng/mL; P less than .01). An almost equivalent lowering of the mean Cmax (by 21%) was observed for Proventil Repetabs after administration with a meal versus fasting (4.2 ng/mL vs. 5.3 ng/mL; P less than .01). There were no significant differences between the two formulations in the degree of Cmax reduction due to the presence of food. The tmax occurred significantly later during the fed treatment for Volmax only (4.9 hours fasted vs. 6.4 hours fed; P less than .01). The lag time was significantly greater during the fed treatments for Volmax. No differences were observed in the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) for either formulation under fasting versus fed conditions, suggesting that the extent of absortion was not altered by food. Overall, food caused a more sustained release of albuterol from both Volmax and Proventil Repetabs.