Timothy E Albertson 1 , 2 , Willis S Bowman 1 , 2 , Richart W Harper 1 , 2 , Regina M Godbout 2 , 3 , Susan Murin 1 , 2
06 June 2019
International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
fixed-dose combination inhalers, long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists, LABA, long-acting muscarinic antagonists, LAMA, COPD, umeclidinium bromide, vilanterol trifenatate
The use of inhaled, fixed-dose, long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) combined with long-acting, beta 2-adrenergic receptor agonists (LABA) has become a mainstay in the maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). One of the fixed-dose LAMA/LABA combinations is the dry powder inhaler (DPI) of umeclidinium bromide (UMEC) and vilanterol trifenatate (VI) (62.5 µg/25 µg) approved for once-a-day maintenance treatment of COPD. This paper reviews the use of fixed-dose combination LAMA/LABA agents focusing on the UMEC/VI DPI inhaler in the maintenance treatment of COPD. The fixed-dose combination LAMA/LABA inhaler offers a step beyond a single inhaled maintenance agent but is still a single device for the COPD patient having frequent COPD exacerbations and persistent symptoms not well controlled on one agent. Currently available clinical trials suggest that the once-a-day DPI of UMEC/VI is well-tolerated, safe and non-inferior or better than other currently available inhaled fixed-dose LAMA/LABA combinations for COPD.
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