Novartis publishes positive Onbrez Breezhaler trial data

Novartis has highlighted data from a pair of clinical trials that illustrate the effectiveness of Onbrez Breezhaler among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

The treatment has been evaluated in two phase III clinical trials, Intrust 1 and 2, which evaluated its performance in improving lung function when combined with tiotropium.

In both studies, the combination therapy met its primary efficacy endpoint by demonstrating its superiority to tiotropium alone after a 12-week period.

Dr Trevor Mundel, global head of development at Novartis Pharma, said: "This data shows the potential for additional lung function benefits when two of the leading classes of treatment for COPD are combined."

Onbrez Breezhaler first received European regulatory approval in November 2009 and has since been released in 13 EU nations, with further launches planned this year.

Earlier this week, the company published data from a phase III study of Afinitor, demonstrating its efficacy against advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.