FDA approves 24-hour COPD drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to a new drug for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Breo Ellipta, co-developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Theravance, is being marketed as the first 24-hour maintenance inhalant for COPD.

The new drug is a combination of two other GlaxoSmithKline treatments: an inhaled corticosteroid (fluticasone furoate; on the market as Avamys/Veramyst) and vilanterol, a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist.

The drug has not been approved as an asthma treatment, and the packaging will carry warning labels noting that it should not be used as a rescue inhalant, notes the FDA release. Seniors taking the drug should be monitored carefully, since possible side effects also include increased risk of pneumonia and bone fractures.

The drug is one of several new compounds that could eventually replace GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair, which is seeing growing competition from generic products, reports Fox Business News.

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.