Boehringer Ingelheim Korea said Monday that findings from a study of its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) drug Vahelva Respimat showed that it could reduce the risk of exacerbation compared to Spriva Respimat.

Vahelva Respimat

The results were published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine on Wednesday, according to the Korean branch of the German pharmaceutical giant.

COPD is a common lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. The World Health Organization estimates it to become the third leading cause of death by 2030. Although it is treatable, the long-term prognosis for patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbation is poor with around 50 percent dying within five years, the company said.

The results from the 52-week DYNAGITO study on 7,800 people showed that Vahelva Respimat (tiotropium+olodaterol 5/5µg) compared to Spriva Respimat (tiotropium) reduced the exacerbation rate of moderate-to-severe COPD by 7 percent,- although it did not meet the level of statistical significance set for the study.

“The results of DYNAGITO show that tiotropium/olodaterol can lower the rate of moderate-to-severe exacerbations in many patients compared to tiotropium, a tough comparator which has consistently demonstrated exacerbation risk reduction through long-term, real-world experience,” said Professor Peter M.A. Calverley from the University of Liverpool, who was the study investigator.

Results showed that the tiotropium/olodaterol combo resulted in fewer moderate-to-severe exacerbations that required treatment with a systemic corticosteroid, compared to tiotropium alone. The company also noted that the dual therapy was as safe as tiotropium alone, saying it found no new side effects or safety concerns.

The company pointed out that the 2018 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Diseases (GOLD) marks LAMA/LABA treatment such as tiotropium and olodaterol as central to managing COPD.

“These data support evidence-based expert recommendations that dual bronchodilator LAMA/LABA therapy plays a central role in the management of people with COPD regarding symptom improvement and exacerbation risk reduction," Calverley added.

yjc@docdocdoc.co.kr

<© Korea Biomedical Review, All rights reserved.>