Novartis reports positive clinical data for COPD compounds

Novartis has announced positive results from two pivotal phase III clinical trial programmes for new chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) therapies.

Data from the EXPEDITION programme demonstrated that a new twice-daily combination regimen called QVA149 improved lung function compared to placebo and its individual monocomponents, indacaterol and glycopyrronium bromide, after 12 weeks of treatment.

Meanwhile, results from the GEM 1 and 2 studies indicated that glycopyrronium bromide, also known as NVA237, demonstrated significant and clinically meaningful improvements in lung function at week 12 in moderate-to-severe COPD patients compared to placebo.

Both trial programmes met their primary and secondary endpoints, with results from these studies set to support ongoing regulatory submission processes in the US.

Vasant Narasimhan, global head of development at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, said: "With millions of people in the US and around the world struggling to breathe due to COPD, Novartis is committed to advancing QVA149 and other new medicines to address this important unmet need."

This comes after the firm reported positive clinical data showing the efficacy of Afinitor in the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal or lung neuroendocrine tumours earlier this week.