Indacaterol inhalation comes as a powder-filled capsule to inhale by mouth using a special inhaler.
Indacaterol works by stimulating adrenergic beta-2 receptors in the smooth muscle of the airways. This causes relaxation of the muscle, thereby increasing the diameter of the airways, which become constricted in asthma and COPD. It is also long-acting due to its high affinity to the lipid raft domains in the airway membrane so it slowly dissociates from the receptors. Indacaterol also has a high intrinsic efficacy, so it is also very rapid acting.