Boehringer Ingelheim’s Striverdi Respimat shows benefits in new trial

Boehringer Ingelheim has announced positive results from new phase III trials of its recently-approved chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) therapy Striverdi Respimat.

Data from the two replicate six-week studies showed that the once-daily olodaterol treatment delivered statistically significant improvements in the amount of time that patients with COPD could exercise before they were forced to stop by breathlessness.

Striverdi Respimat was able to reduce airflow limitation among these patients, which translated into reduced lung hyperinflation during exercise, producing improvements in symptom-limited exercise tolerance.

Previous trials have shown that the therapy can provide significant bronchodilator effects within five minutes of the first dose, as well as sustained improvement in lung function over 24 hours, resulting in clinically meaningful improvements in patients' quality of life.

Professor Klaus Dugi, corporate senior vice-president for medicine at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: "These studies serve as another example of Boehringer Ingelheim's commitment to advancing the treatment of COPD to address the unmet needs of millions of patients living with this devastating disease."

Striverdi Respimat was granted European Commission approval for use as a treatment for cases of moderate to very severe COPD earlier this month.