The objective of this work was to characterize the dose-response relationship between two inhaled long-acting beta agonists (PF-00610355 and salmeterol) and the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) in order to inform dosing recommendations for future clinical trials in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This meta-analysis of four studies included 8,513 FEV1 measurements from 690 patients with moderate COPD. A longitudinal kinetic-pharmacodynamic (K-PD) model was developed and adequately described changes in FEV1 measurements over time, including circadian patterns within a day, as well as changes in FEV1 measurements elicited from administration of PF-00610355 or salmeterol. The fine-particle dose, the amount of drug present in particles small enough for lung delivery, was used as the exposure measure for PF-00610355. Greater reversibility following administration of a short-acting beta agonist during run-in was associated with increased FEV1 response to long-acting beta agonists (through an increased maximal response, E(max)). Simulations were conducted to better understand the response to PF-00610355 relative to placebo and salmeterol. The results of the simulations show that once daily fine-particle doses of 28.1 μg versus placebo have a moderate probability of providing an average improvement above 100 mL at trough. The 50 μg fine-particle dose, on the other hand, has a greater than 0.78 probability of achieving a 120 mL improvement versus placebo at trough. From an efficacy perspective and assuming a fine-particle fraction of 25 % for the Phase 3 formulation; 100 and 200 μg once daily nominal doses would be of interest to investigate in future Phase 3 trials.