Boehringer Ingelheim receives EU approval for Spiolto Respimat

Boehringer Ingelheim has received its first round of European regulatory approvals for Spiolto Respimat, its new chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) maintenance treatment.

The new treatment has been approved for sale in the UK, Croatia, Slovakia, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, Austria, Romania and Spain, with further EU approvals expected in the coming months.

Spiolto Respimat is built on tiotropium, the active ingredient in Spiriva, and enhanced by olodaterol. It provides significant improvements in lung function, COPD symptoms, quality of life and rescue medication use over Spiriva right from the initial stages when patients need maintenance therapy.

Moreover, it has been shown to more than double lung function improvement over Spiriva in patients who had no prior maintenance therapy.

Klaus Dugi, chief medical officer at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: "Since its first launch in 2002, Spiriva has brought medical benefits that have made a real difference to the lives of millions of patients with COPD around the world. Spiolto Respimat is our newest advance in COPD treatment."

The company commenced a clinical trial earlier this year called Dynagito, which aims to the benefits of this new treatment in reducing the risk of exacerbations and improving survival in COPD patients.