Tiotropium Respimat(®): A Review of Its Use in Asthma Poorly Controlled with Inhaled Corticosteroids and Long-Acting β2-Adrenergic Agonists.
Drugs. 2015 Apr 21;
Authors: McKeage K
Abstract
Tiotropium bromide (Spiriva(®)) solution for inhalation via the Respimat(®) Soft Mist™ inhaler is a long-acting anticholinergic agent approved in the EU for the add-on maintenance treatment of asthma in adults currently receiving maintenance therapy with an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) (≥800 µg budesonide per day or equivalent) and a long-acting β2-adrenergic agonist (LABA) and who have experienced at least one severe exacerbation in the previous year. Tiotropium Respimat(®) added to maintenance ICS/LABA treatment significantly improved lung function after 6 months' treatment and extended the time to the first asthma exacerbation in two well-designed, replicate, phase III trials in patients with poorly controlled asthma despite treatment with an ICS (≥800 µg budesonide/day or equivalent) and a LABA. Tiotropium Respimat(®) was also associated with a reduced incidence of severe asthma exacerbations and an increase in the median time to asthma worsening. The drug was well tolerated in asthma patients throughout 48 weeks' treatment, with a generally similar incidence of serious adverse events in tiotropium Respimat(®) and placebo treatment groups. Thus, in patients with poorly controlled asthma despite receiving high-dose ICS and a LABA, tiotropium Respimat(®) provides a valuable treatment option.
PMID: 25895466 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]