The following studies were presented last week at the 10th European Respiratory Society annual congress in Florence.
New Astra Zeneca inhaler Data from the first clinical trial of Astra Zeneca's Symbicort Turbohaler (budesonide 160µg and formoterol 4.5µg) were presented by Professor Olle Zetterström (University hospital, Linköping, Sweden). The trial was conducted in 362 adult patients with asthma. Two inhalations of Symbicort twice daily were reported to reduce the risk of "mild exacerbations", improve morning and evening peak flow measurements and reduce asthma symptom scores compared with inhaled budesonide alone.
Commenting on the combination Turbohaler, Professor Zetterström said: "Symbicort will benefit not just those asthma patients inadequately controlled on inhaled corticosteroid therapy and who need a long-acting bronchodilator, but also those patients who are already taking these two treatments as separate inhalers."
Astra Zeneca says it hopes to receive licensing approval for Symbicort Turbohaler in the UK next year.
Qvar studies 3M Health Care says that data from two open-label, randomised studies presented at the congress suggest that the beclomethasone dipropionate formulation used in its Qvar Autohaler is at least as effective as double the dose of budesonide delivered from a dry powder inhaler.
The studies enrolled adults with moderately severe asthma despite taking inhaled steroids. In the two studies, patients received 400µg/day Qvar or 800µg/day budesonide dry powder inhaler for six weeks and 800µg/day Qvar or 1600µg/day budesonide dry powder inhaler for eight weeks, respectively. The company says that the results confirm earlier findings that levels of lung function improvement are similar with the two drugs. A third study comparing 800µg/day Qvar with 1000µg/day CFC-free fluticasone showed Qvar to be at least as effective as fluticasone, says the company.
Tiotropium in COPD Boehringer Ingelheim says that new data were presented from its tiotropium development programme. Tiotropium is a once-daily bronchodilator that is in late stage development for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
According to the data - taken from four one-year studies - the drug improved lung function when compared with placebo and ipratropium. In addition, tiotropium improved the six-hour average of FEV1 by 21 per cent compared with placebo, and 24 hours after dosing there was still a sustained improvement of 15 per cent, says the company.
Preliminary data on tiotropium's effect on exacerbations of COPD were also presented. The company says that patients receiving tiotropium experienced a reduction in the incidence of exacerbations of about 22 per cent compared with ipratropium.