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A new drug that helps to relax airway muscles and improve airflow in and out of the lungs for adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been released.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced the availability of Incruse (umeclidinium, 55 mcg) in the UK, which is a new once-daily maintenance bronchodilator treatment to relieve COPD symptoms in adult patients.
It is the third COPD treatment launched by GSK UK this year to be delivered using the Ellipta inhaler, and when used in combination with Relvar Ellipta is the first and only triple therapy option for COPD in the same type of inhaler.
Dr. Stephen McDonough, UK Medical Director GSK, said: “Incruse Ellipta is the latest addition to GSK’s COPD portfolio. COPD is a debilitating condition affecting 900,000 people in the UK. Adding a LAMA to our portfolio in the Ellipta inhaler will allow clinicians to tailor treatments to patients’ needs whilst reducing the need for patients to change to different types of inhaler.”
COPD is a complex and progressive disease requiring tailored treatment options for different patients or as each patient’s needs evolve over time. NICE guidelines recommend offering a LAMA in addition to an ICS/LABA as ‘triple therapy’ to patients with COPD who remain breathless or have exacerbations despite taking ICS/LABA alone.
Umeclidinium provides clinicians with a new LAMA option, which could be of particular help to support the 65% of LAMA patients who use it alongside a combination ICS/LABA treatment.
Each medicine within the new GSK respiratory portfolio has been designed to support the treatment of COPD in different or complementary ways, with delivery through the Ellipta inhaler. Studies have shown that 98% of COPD patients used Ellipta correctly first time following instruction and that the inhaler has provided consistent drug delivery across all disease severities.
The safety profile of umeclidinium bromide was evaluated from 1,663 patients with COPD who received doses of 55 micrograms or greater for up to one year. This includes 576 patients who received the recommended dRUGEdose of 55 micrograms once daily. The launch of Incruse follows marketing authorisation in April 2014.