Novartis publishes new phase III Onbrez Breezhaler study data

Novartis has reported positive data from a comparative phase III clinical study of Onbrez Breezhaler, its therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Data from the trial showed that Novartis' indacaterol-based treatment proved to be comparably effective to a leading alternative drug in improving lung function among COPD sufferers.

Moreover, Onbrez Breezhaler was shown to offer superior performance in terms of reduced breathlessness, lower use of rescue medication and health status improvements when compared to the control therapy.

Novartis states that the research demonstrates the advantages Onbrez Breezhaler can deliver as an alternative to the current standard of care for COPD.

Dr Trevor Mundel, global head of development at Novartis, said: "Our phase III programme involves 16,000 patients in a series of clinical trials which together provide a comprehensive understanding of the efficacy and safety of Onbrez Breezhaler."

Last week, the company presented data from a phase III study of the meningococcal disease vaccine Menveo, showing its efficacy against four major serogroups of the condition.