Indacaterol, a once-daily beta2-agonist, versus twice-daily beta₂-agonists or placebo for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The optimal dose of indacaterol for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis

Background

The optimal dose of indacaterol for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was in debate. We did this network meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of three dosages (75, 150, and 300 μg) of indacaterol in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.

Methods

We searched studies from inception until January 20, 2023 on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science database. All studies comparing different doses of indacaterol for COPD were included in this network meta-analysis. Outcomes were forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), exacerbation rate, St. George respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ), transitional dyspnea index (TDI), and adverse events. Weighted mean difference (WMD) and odds ratio (OR) with 95% credible interval (CrI) was calculated by R software with gemtc package.

Results

Finally, a total of 10 studies (4,991 patients) were finally included in this network meta-analysis. Indacaterol 75 μg (WMD: 0.07; 95% CrI: 0.05-0.08), indacaterol 150 μg (WMD: 0.13; 95% CrI: 0.12-0.14), and indacaterol 300 μg (WMD: 0.22; 95% CrI: 0.22-0.23) were all more effective than the placebo, and the difference was statistically significant. Indacaterol 75 μg (OR: 0.80; 95% CrI: 0.53-1.21), indacaterol 150 μg (OR: 0.59; 95% CrI: 0.45-0.78), indacaterol 300 μg (OR: 0.35; 95% CrI: 0.26-0.46) were more effective than the placebo in terms of exacerbation rate, and the difference was statistically significant. The surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) showed that indacaterol 300 μg ranked first, indacaterol 150 μg ranked second, indacaterol 75 μg ranked third, and placebo ranked the last for FEV1, SGRQ, TDI, exacerbation rate. There was no significant difference among the adverse events (P>0.05).

Conclusions

Considering the network meta-analysis and rankings, 300 μg indacaterol is superior to the other two dosages in treating patients with moderate-to-severe COPD. However, the quality of available evidence limits the formation of powerful conclusions regarding the comparative efficacy or safety of different doses of indacaterol used to treat COPD. Higher-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are required for further research in the future.

Inhaled corticosteroids with combination inhaled long-acting beta2-agonists and long-acting muscarinic antagonists for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND

Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) commonly involves a combination of long-acting bronchodilators including beta2-agonists (LABA) and muscarinic antagonists (LAMA). LABA and LAMA bronchodilators are now available in single-combination inhalers. In individuals with persistent symptoms or frequent exacerbations, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are also used with combination LABA and LAMA inhalers. However, the benefits and risks of adding ICS to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers as a triple therapy remain unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of adding an ICS to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers for the treatment of stable COPD.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Airways Group Register of Trials, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and Embase up to 30 November 2022. We also searched ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO ICTRP up to 30 November 2022.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included parallel-group randomised controlled trials of three weeks' duration or longer that compared the treatment of stable COPD with ICS in addition to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers against combination LABA/LAMA inhalers alone.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard Cochrane methodological procedures. The primary outcomes were acute exacerbations of COPD, respiratory health-related quality of life, pneumonia and other serious adverse events. The secondary outcomes were symptom scores, lung function, physical capacity, and mortality. We used GRADE to assess certainty of evidence for studies that contributed data to our prespecified outcomes.

MAIN RESULTS

Four studies with a total of 15,412 participants met the inclusion criteria. The mean age of study participants ranged from 64.4 to 65.3 years; the proportion of female participants ranged from 28% to 40%. Most participants had symptomatic COPD (COPD Assessment Test Score ≥ 10) with severe to very severe airflow limitation (forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) < 50% predicted) and one or more moderate-to-severe COPD exacerbations in the last 12 months. Trial medications differed amongst studies. The duration of follow-up was 52 weeks in three studies and 24 weeks in one study. We assessed the risk of selection, performance, and detection bias to be low in the included studies; one study was at high risk of attrition bias, and one study was at high risk of reporting bias. Triple therapy may reduce rates of moderate-to-severe COPD exacerbations compared to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers (rate ratio (RR) 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67 to 0.81; n = 15,397; low-certainty evidence). Subgroup analysis stratifying by blood eosinophil counts showed there may be a greater reduction in rate of moderate-to-severe COPD exacerbations with triple therapy in participants with high-eosinophils (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.75) compared to low-eosinophils (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.93) (test for subgroup differences: P < 0.01) (high/low cut-offs: 150 eosinophils/µL in three studies; 200 eosinophils/µL in one study). However, moderate-to-substantial heterogeneity was observed in both high- and low-eosinophil subgroups. These subgroup analyses are observational by nature and thus results should be interpreted with caution. Triple therapy may be associated with reduced rates of severe COPD exacerbations (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.84; n = 14,131; low-certainty evidence). Triple therapy improved health-related quality of life assessed using the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) by the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) threshold (4-point decrease) (35.3% versus 42.4%, odds ratio (OR) 1.35, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.45; n = 14,070; high-certainty evidence). Triple therapy may result in fewer symptoms measured using the Transition Dyspnoea Index (TDI) (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.57; n = 3044; moderate-certainty evidence) and improved lung function as measured by change in trough FEV1 (mean difference 38.68 mL, 95% CI 22.58 to 54.77; n = 11,352; low-certainty evidence). However, these benefits fell below MCID thresholds for TDI (1-unit decrease) and trough FEV1 (100 mL), respectively. Triple therapy is probably associated with a higher risk of pneumonia as a serious adverse event compared to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers (3.3% versus 1.9%, OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.39 to 2.18; n = 15,412; moderate-certainty evidence). In contrast, all-cause serious adverse events may be similar between groups (19.7% versus 19.7%, OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.03; n = 15,412; low-certainty evidence). All-cause mortality may be lower with triple therapy (1.4% versus 2.0%, OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.90; n = 15,397; low-certainty evidence).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The available evidence suggests that triple therapy may reduce rates of COPD exacerbations (low-certainty evidence) and results in an improvement in health-related quality of life (high-certainty evidence) compared to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers, but probably confers an increased pneumonia risk as a serious adverse event (moderate-certainty evidence). Triple therapy probably improves respiratory symptoms and may improve lung function (moderate- and low-certainty evidence, respectively); however, these benefits do not appear to be clinically significant. Triple therapy may reduce the risk of all-cause mortality compared to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers (low-certainty evidence). The certainty of the evidence was downgraded most frequently for inconsistency or indirectness. Across the four included studies, there were important differences in inclusion criteria, trial medications, and duration of follow-up. Investigation of heterogeneity was limited due to the small number of included studies. We found limited data on the effects of triple therapy compared to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers in patients with mild-moderate COPD and those without a recent exacerbation history.

Asthma and COPD: A Focus on β-Agonists - Past, Present and Future

Asthma has been recognised as a respiratory disorder for millennia and the focus of targeted drug development for the last 120 years. Asthma is one of the most common chronic non-communicable diseases worldwide. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, is caused by exposure to tobacco smoke and other noxious particles and exerts a substantial economic and social burden. This chapter reviews the development of the treatments of asthma and COPD particularly focussing on the β-agonists, from the isolation of adrenaline, through the development of generations of short- and long-acting β-agonists. It reviews asthma death epidemics, considers the intrinsic efficacy of clinical compounds, and charts the improvement in selectivity and duration of action that has led to our current medications. Important β2-agonist compounds no longer used are considered, including some with additional properties, and how the different pharmacological properties of current β2-agonists underpin their different places in treatment guidelines. Finally, it concludes with a look forward to future developments that could improve the β-agonists still further, including extending their availability to areas of the world with less readily accessible healthcare.

Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Exacerbations in Hospitalized Patients From Admission to Discharge: A Comprehensive Review of Therapeutic Interventions

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common and debilitating condition that often necessitates hospitalization for exacerbations. Since COPD exacerbations can cause significant morbidity and mortality, managing them is crucial for patient care. Effective management of COPD exacerbations is essential to prevent complications, as COPD exacerbations are associated with increased healthcare costs and decreased quality of life. This review aims to comprehensively discuss the management of COPD exacerbations, covering various pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic strategies. These include inhaled bronchodilators, systemic steroids, antibiotics, invasive and non-invasive ventilation, oxygen therapy, smoking cessation, immunization with pneumococcal vaccine, inhalers at discharge, pulmonary rehabilitation, long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT), ambulatory oxygen therapy, short-burst oxygen therapy, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS), endobronchial procedures, and lung transplant. It is drawn upon various sources, including clinical studies, systemic reviews, and observational studies, to provide a comprehensive overview of current practices and identify areas for future research and innovation in managing COPD exacerbations. Addressing these areas of interest can improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

The Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as an Adjunct Treatment on Stable COPD Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), including Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture, exhibits beneficial effects on stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) such as improving lung function and reducing exacerbation. Previous research studies have examined either CHM or acupuncture alone, which are not the usual practice in TCM clinic setting. We conduct a systematic review for evaluating the clinical effectiveness and safety of TCM by combining CHM and acupuncture.

Methods

Databases are searched from inception to November 2019. Randomized controlled trials examining either acupuncture or CHM on stable COPD are included. Primary outcomes include lung functions, exacerbations, and COPD assessment test. Secondary outcomes include quality of life, TCM syndrome score and effective rate, and 6-minute walk distance. Two independent reviewers extract data and assess the quality of evidence and generate meta-analysis and risk of bias by STATA. This protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines.

Results

100 randomized controlled trials (8291 participants) were included to compare add-on Chinese medicine treatment with conventional treatment (CT). Combining CHM with CT improves FEV₁ (MD: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.28), exacerbation rate (MD: −0.29, 95% CI: −0.61, 0.03), COPD assessment test (MD: −2.16, 95% CI: −3.44, -0.88), TCM syndrome score (MD: −3.96, 95% CI: −5.41, −2.51) and effective rate (RR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.80, 0.93), and 6-minute walk test (MD: 37.81, 95% CI: 20.90, 54.73). No serious adverse events were reported. Risk of bias: low to unclear.

Conclusions

This review identifies sufficient moderate-to-low-quality evidence to suggest TCM as an adjunct treatment for stable COPD patients. Though heterogeneity was low among studies, the results were limited and the quality of evidence was low or very low based on small sample sizes and risk of bias. Future studies with larger sample sizes are warranted. The trial is registered with CRD42019161324.

Ultra Long-Acting β-Agonists in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Introduction

Inhaled β-agonists have been foundational medications for maintenance COPD management for decades. Through activation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate pathways, these agents relax airway smooth muscle and improve expiratory airflow by relieving bronchospasm and alleviating air trapping and dynamic hyperinflation improving breathlessness, exertional capabilities, and quality of life. β-agonist drug development has discovered drugs with increasing longer durations of action: short acting (SABA) (4-6 h), long acting (LABA) (6-12 h), and ultra-long acting (ULABA) (24 h). Three ULABAs, indacaterol, olodaterol, and vilanterol, are approved for clinical treatment of COPD.

Purpose

This article reviews both clinically approved ULABAs and ULABAs in development.

Conclusion

Indacaterol and olodaterol were originally approved for clinical use as monotherapies for COPD. Vilanterol is the first ULABA to be approved only in combination with other respiratory medications. Although there are many other ULABA's in various stages of development, most clinical testing of these novel agents is suspended or proceeding slowly. The three approved ULABAs are being combined with antimuscarinic agents and corticosteroids as dual and triple agent treatments that are being tested for clinical use and efficacy. Increasingly, these clinical trials are using specific COPD clinical characteristics to define study populations and to begin to develop therapies that are trait-specific.

Model-based evaluation of the long-term cost-effectiveness of systematic case-finding for COPD in primary care

Introduction

‘One-off’ systematic case-finding for COPD using a respiratory screening questionnaire is more effective and cost-effective than routine care at identifying new cases. However, it is not known whether early diagnosis and treatment is beneficial in the longer term. We estimated the long-term cost-effectiveness of a regular case-finding programme in primary care.

Methods

A Markov decision analytic model was developed to compare the cost-effectiveness of a 3-yearly systematic case-finding programme targeted to ever smokers aged ≥50 years with the current routine diagnostic process in UK primary care. Patient-level data on case-finding pathways was obtained from a large randomised controlled trial. Information on the natural history of COPD and treatment effects was obtained from a linked COPD cohort, UK primary care database and published literature. The discounted lifetime cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained was calculated from a health service perspective.

Results

The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of systematic case-finding versus current care was £16 596 per additional QALY gained, with a 78% probability of cost-effectiveness at a £20 000 per QALY willingness-to-pay threshold. The base case result was robust to multiple one-way sensitivity analyses. The main drivers were response rate to the initial screening questionnaire and attendance rate for the confirmatory spirometry test.

Discussion

Regular systematic case-finding for COPD using a screening questionnaire in primary care is likely to be cost-effective in the long-term despite uncertainties in treatment effectiveness. Further knowledge of the natural history of case-found patients and the effectiveness of their management will improve confidence to implement such an approach.

Patient-reported outcomes and considerations in the management of COPD: focus on indacaterol/glycopyrronium bromide

Dual bronchodilation with long-acting beta-2 agonists and muscarinic antagonists is recommended in patients with severe to very severe COPD. Among dual bronchodilator combinations, indacaterol/glycopyrronium combination (IGC) received evidence of higher efficacy and good safety compared with monotherapy with either drug as well as with tiotropium. In randomized controlled trials, the primary outcome is usually the change in mean FEV₁ resulting from treatment. However, the functional aspects that influence the physician's choice of the type of management may not be considered important by the patient, based on his perception of the disease. To address such issue, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were assessed in recent studies. They include patient's perception of breathlessness, physical functioning, global health status, quality of life, use of rescue medications, and patient's report of COPD exacerbations. PRO data from the studies showed a clear improvement in patients' awareness of a better control of the disease in patients treated with IGC. In addition, the latest literature on two important issues influencing patient's preference and adherence, ie, the once-daily administration and the device to be used, confirmed the effectiveness of IGC and the ability of its device (Breezhaler^®) to result in patient's satisfaction, ease of use, less handling errors, and self-assurance to have inhaled the entire dose.

Factors influencing pharmacological treatment in COPD: a comparison of 2005 and 2014

Introduction: The aim was to investigate how the pattern of pharmacological treatment in Swedish patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has changed over a decade, and to identify factors associated with treatment.

Methods: Data on patient characteristics and pharmacological treatment were collected using questionnaires from two separate cohorts of randomly selected primary and secondary care patients with a doctor’s diagnosis of COPD in central Sweden, in 2005 (n = 1111) and 2014 (n = 1329). Cross-tabulations and chi-square tests were used to compare maintenance treatment in 2005 and 2014, and to investigate the distribution of treatment by the 2017 Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) ABCD groups. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze associations with the major types of recommended treatments: bronchodilator therapy, combined long-acting beta-2-antagonists (LABA) + inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), and triple inhaled therapy.

Results: The proportion of patients with no maintenance treatment, with only LABA + ICS, and with sole ICS statistically significantly decreased (36 vs. 31%, 16 vs. 12% and 5 vs. 2%, respectively), and the proportion with triple inhaled therapy statistically significantly increased (29 vs. 40%). In 2014, triple inhaled therapy was the most common treatment in all GOLD groups except group A. In 2014, previous frequent exacerbations [OR (95% CI) 2.34 (1.62 to 3.36)], worse COPD Assessment Test score [1.07 (1.05 to 1.09)], female sex [2.13 (1.56 to 2.91)], and access to a specific responsible doctor [1.95 (1.41 to 2.69)] were associated with triple inhaled therapy. Current smoking [0.40 (0.28 to 0.57)] and overweight [0.62 (0.41 to 0.93)] were inversely associated with triple inhaled therapy.

Conclusions: Over the last decade, triple inhaled therapy has increased, and no maintenance treatment, ICS, or LABA + ICS has decreased. Triple inhaled therapy is the most common treatment and is associated with previous exacerbations, higher symptom level, female sex, and having a specific responsible doctor.

Reduced COPD Exacerbation Risk Correlates With Improved FEV1: A Meta-Regression Analysis

BACKGROUND

The mechanism by which various classes of medication reduce COPD exacerbation risk remains unknown. We hypothesized a correlation between reduced exacerbation risk and improvement in airway patency as measured according to FEV1.

METHODS

By systematic review, COPD trials were identified that reported therapeutic changes in predose FEV1 (dFEV1) and occurrence of moderate to severe exacerbations. Using meta-regression analysis, a model was generated with dFEV1 as the moderator variable and the absolute difference in exacerbation rate (RD), ratio of exacerbation rates (RRs), or hazard ratio (HR) as dependent variables.

RESULTS

The analysis of RD and RR included 119,227 patients, and the HR analysis included 73,475 patients. For every 100-mL change in predose FEV1, the HR decreased by 21% (95% CI, 17-26; P < .001; R2 = 0.85) and the absolute exacerbation rate decreased by 0.06 per patient per year (95% CI, 0.02-0.11; P = .009; R2 = 0.05), which corresponded to an RR of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.81-0.91; P < .001; R2 = 0.20). The relationship with exacerbation risk remained statistically significant across multiple subgroup analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant correlation between increased FEV1 and lower COPD exacerbation risk suggests that airway patency is an important mechanism responsible for this effect.

Safety and Effectiveness of Indacaterol in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients in South Korea

BACKGROUND

Inhaled indacaterol (Onbrez Breezhaler), a long-acting β₂-agonist, is approved in over 100 countries, including South Korea, as a once-daily bronchodilator for maintenance and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Here, we present an interim analysis of a post-marketing surveillance study conducted to evaluate the real-world safety and effectiveness of indacaterol in the Korean population.

METHODS

This was an open-label, observational, prospective study in which COPD patients, who were newly prescribed with indacaterol (150 or 300 µg), were evaluated for 12 or 24 weeks. Safety was assessed based on the incidence rates of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs). Effectiveness was evaluated based on physician's assessment by considering changes in symptoms and lung function, if the values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second were available.

RESULTS

Safety data were analyzed in 1,016 patients of the 1,043 enrolled COPD patients receiving indacaterol, and 784 patients were included for the effectiveness analysis. AEs were reported in 228 (22.44%) patients, while 98 (9.65%) patients reported SAEs. The COPD condition improved in 348 patients (44.4%), while the condition was maintained in 396 patients (50.5%), and only 40 patients (5.1%) exhibited worsening of ailment as compared with baseline. During the treatment period, 90 patients were hospitalized while nine patients died. All deaths were assessed to be not related to the study drug by the investigator.

CONCLUSION

In real-life clinical practice in South Korea, indacaterol was well tolerated in COPD patients, and can be regarded as an effective option for their maintenance treatment.

Inhaled corticosteroids with combination inhaled long-acting beta2-agonists and long-acting muscarinic antagonists for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND

Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) commonly involves long-acting bronchodilators including beta-agonists (LABA) and muscarinic antagonists (LAMA). In individuals with persistent symptoms or frequent exacerbations, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are also used. LABA and LAMA bronchodilators are now available in single combination inhalers. However, the benefits and risks of adding ICS to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers remains unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effect of adding an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) to combination long-acting beta₂-agonist (LABA)/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) inhalers for the treatment of stable COPD.

SEARCH METHODS

We carried out searches using the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register of Trials (searched 20 September 2016), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2015, Issue 12) in the Cochrane Library (searched 15 December 2015) and MEDLINE (searched 15 December 2015). We also searched ClinicalTrials.gov, World Health Organisation (WHO) trials portal and pharmaceutical company clinical trials' databases up to 7 Janurary 2016.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included parallel-group, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of three weeks' duration or longer which compared treatment of stable COPD with ICS in addition to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers against combination LABA/LAMA inhalers alone.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane.

MAIN RESULTS

We identified a total of 586 records in our search. Following removal of duplicates, 386 abstracts were assessed for inclusion. Six studies were identified as potentially relevant; however, all failed to meet the inclusion criteria on full-text assessment or after contacting the corresponding author to clarify study characteristics.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There are currently no studies published assessing the effect of ICS in addition to combination LABA/LAMA inhalers for the treatment of stable COPD. As combination LABA/LAMA inhalers are now widely available, there is a need for well-designed RCTs to investigate whether ICS provides any added therapeutic benefit.

Change in health status in COPD: a seven-year follow-up cohort study

Health status is a prognostic factor included in the assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of our study was to examine the associations of clinical factors with change in health status over a 7-year follow-up period. In 2005, 970 randomly selected primary and secondary care patients with a COPD diagnosis completed questionnaires including the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ); and in 2012, 413 completed the CCQ questionnaire again. Linear regression used difference in mean total CCQ score between 2005 and 2012 as the dependent variable. Independent variables were CCQ score at baseline 2005, sex, age, educational level, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, heart disease, diabetes, depression, number of exacerbations in the previous 6 months, dyspnoea (modified Medical Research Council (mMRC)). Health status worsened from mean total CCQ (s.d.) 2.03 (1.26) in 2005 to 2.16 (1.37) in 2012 (P=0.011). In linear regression with adjustment for baseline CCQ; older age, lower education, higher mMRC and BMI below 25 kg/m2 at baseline were associated with worsened health status in 2012. When sex, age and all statistically significant measures were included simultaneously in the analysis of the main study group, higher mMRC and BMI below 25 kg/m2 were were associated with deteriorated health status (P<0.0001). A higher level of dyspnoea and lower weight were associated with worse health status in COPD. Strategies for decreasing dyspnoea and awareness of the possible increased risk of worsening disease in under- and normal-weight COPD patients are clinically important.

Inhaled treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: what's new and how does it fit?

Since chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by progressive airflow obstruction, inhaled bronchodilators form the mainstay of treatment. A variety of new inhaled drugs and inhaler devices have recently been licensed and approved for prescribing to patients with COPD; many such drugs have been formulated in devices to deliver two different drugs at the same time. The evidence based review article highlights all of the drugs now licensed, describes some of the evidence surrounding their use and highlights practical steps in helping decide when these drugs should be considered in the context of guidelines.

The impact of adherence to inhaled drugs on 5-year survival in COPD patients: a time dependent approach

Purpose

Whether inhaled medications improve long‐term survival in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an open question. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of adherence to inhaled drug use on 5‐year survival in COPD.

Methods

A population‐based cohort study in three Italian regions was conducted using healthcare linked datasets (hospitalization, mortality, drugs). Individuals (45+ years) discharged after COPD exacerbation in 2006–2009 were enrolled. Inhaled drug daily use during 5‐year follow‐up was determined through Proportion of Days Covered on the basis of Defined Daily Doses. Five levels of time‐dependent exposure were identified: (i) long‐acting β2 agonists and inhaled corticosteroids (LB/ICS) regular use; (ii) LB/ICS occasional use; (iii) LB regular use; (iv) LB occasional use; and (v) respiratory drugs other than LB. Cox regression models adjusted for baseline (socio‐demographic, comorbidities, drug use) and time‐dependent characteristics (COPD exacerbations, cardiovascular hospitalizations, cardiovascular therapy) were performed.

Results

A total of 12 124 individuals were studied, 46% women, mean age 73,8 years. Average follow‐up time 2,4 year. A total of 3415 subjects died (mortality rate = 11.9 per 100 person years). In comparison to LB/ICS regular use, higher risks of death for all remaining treatments were found, the highest risk for respiratory drugs other than LB category (HR = 1.63, 95%CI 1.43–1.87). Patients with regular LB use had higher survival than those with LB/ICS occasional use (HR = 0.89, 95%CI 0.79–0.99).

Conclusions

These findings support clinical guidelines and recommendations for the regular use of inhaled drugs to improve health status and prognosis among moderate–severe COPD patients. © 2016 The Authors. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.