Trial of New Triple Inhaler Shows 20 Percent Reduction in COPD Flare-Ups
A recent study published in Lancet, suggests that flare-ups resulting from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be reduced by 20 percent through the use of a combined triple inhaler.
Researchers from The University of Manchester conducted a year-long trial involving 2,691 patients who were current or former smokers with COPD. Over a thousand participants were provided with a new inhaler that contained three different compounds, another thousand were provided with the most commonly used inhaler, and 500 were provided with two inhalers that contained the triple combination.
On average, patients experience 1.3 exacerbations per year. These commonly result from infections that can lead to hospitalizations, faster progressions of the condition and even death. Yet, researchers discovered that, “the risk of an exacerbation was reduced by 20 percent in the group using the triple inhaler.”
"This is the first long-term study to look at the possibilities of triple therapy as a preventative measure for COPD exacerbations,” said Jørgen Vestbo, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at The University of Manchester. "COPD exacerbations lead to approximately 150,000 hospital admissions and 1.2 million bed-days every year in the UK, so to reduce this figure by 20 percent would make a huge difference, not only for patients' quality of life, but also for the resources of the NHS."
Researchers also discovered that the triple combination inhaler also aided in improving lung function and helped to reduce overall symptoms. Additionally, the study is the first of its kind to, “study a biomarker for individualizing treatment.” Through the use of a blood eosinophil, researchers were able to identify patients, “more likely to have even greater benefit from the triple inhaler containing an inhaled steroid.”
