GSK announce benefits for COPD patients treated with Seretide

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced the results of a head-to-head study comparing Seretide (salmeterol/fluticasone propionate) and Handihaler (tiotropium bromide) as a treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

According to the data published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, both compounds had a similar effect on the rate of exacerbations in patients, while individuals receiving Seretide displayed a greater survival benefit and significant improvement in health.

GSK notes that patients treated with Seretide experienced exacerbations requiring antibiotics more frequently, while patients taking Handihaler had more exacerbations which needed systemic steroids, implying a dissimilar nature of acute periods of illness depending on treatment.

Professor Wisia Wedzicha, of the Royal FreeHospital, said: “The results seen in Inspire showing improvements in quality of life and survival are important for patients with COPD.

“There is no cure for COPD so we must manage the disease as effectively as possible to provide patients with the best outcomes.”

She added that the Inspire study has raised key questions regarding the nature of COPD which could have vital implications for the choice of treatment in patients.

In July 2007, GSK received an extended license for Seretide 50/500 micrograms in Europe, with the compound becoming approved for a wider range of patients with COPD.