The FDA has issued approval for a new once-daily medication to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The new pill, called Breo Ellipta, is an inhaled fluticasone furoate/vilanterol combination powder designed for long-term treatment.
The FDA issued final approval last Friday following a last round of clinical testing that involved roughly 7,700 participants. Review board member Elliott Dasenbrook, MD, of University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, told MedPageToday.com that the drug could have a major impact for COPD patients:
"I think that this medication will be most helpful in our patients with GOLD stage 3 and 4 COPD. Another benefit of this once-daily medication is that it could improve adherence in comparison to the twice-daily medications, though that was not specifically looked at in this study," he said.
The drug is a joint product from Theravance and GlaxoSmithKlein. Theravance chief Chief Executive Rick Winningham noted:
"After more than a decade of joint respiratory research and development, the approval is a very important milestone for Theravance and GSK."
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