The dream and burden of asthma drugs.
1) Use for doping in sport is prevalent.
2) They are unscientific due to lack of studies on reflexes. Finger pressure on a lip will distinctly deepen breathing akin to an asthma spray but without danger to health. The limiting effect of the Hering-Breuer-reflex is overcome. The opinion that asthma is incurable merely applies for drug treatment.
4) Simply learning to breathe with an occasional sharp nasal inhale or sniff cured my long-term asthma, because the effect was much stronger than recommended tricks like "pursed lips breathing" which seemed quite useless also implausible. My experience was that the lips should be firmly pressed together on inspiring to open up the chest by reflex.
5) For a promising reflex-based treatment see Breathing Exercises of Alexandra Strelnikova