Boehringer Ingelheim said yesterday that results from a study of its Spiolto Respimat inhaler showed benefits including improving symptoms and lung function in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Spiolto Respimat is a soft-mist inhaler designed for the treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with COPD.

A pooled analysis exploring COPD treatment with the tiotropium-based Spiolto Respimat showed optimizing bronchodilation with tiotropium/olodaterol led to improvements in lung function, health status and breathlessness. A comparative analysis found that the treatment surpassed all others in terms of efficacy, while also producing fewer serious adverse cardiovascular events.

The studies also showed a high level of satisfaction with the usability of the inhalers, as the company said data reinforces the importance of patient needs and preferences. According to Boehringer Ingelheim, 52% of COPD patients struggle to inhale from their device, and the company highlighted the Spiolto Respimat’s usability as a key factor in COPD management.

Boehringer Ingelheim presented data from 11 abstracts relating to the COPD portfolio at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) 2019 Congress over the past five days.

“The importance of matching a specific inhaled therapy with patients’ personal needs and preferences cannot be overstated in COPD management,” Dr. Paola Rogliani,of Rome’s Policlinico Tor Vergata, said in prepared remarks. “A novel bidimensional, pooled analysis enabled us to directly compare six LAMA/LABA fixed-dose combinations and demonstrate that tiotropium/olodaterol improved patient outcomes more than the other treatments in the class. Varying efficacy and safety of combinations in the same class should be considered for a patient-centred approach in COPD.”

“As a company, we have been developing therapies and inhaler devices for people with respiratory conditions for almost a century,” added Boehringer Ingelheim global head of medical affairs Dr. Alberto de la Hoz. “The data presented at ERS underscore the efficacy of tiotropium/olodaterol as a treatment for COPD patients with different clinical characteristics and needs, and how the Respimat re-usable was enhanced based on HCP and patient feedback, addressing their evolving needs and preferences.”