Trelegy Ellipta, a triple therapy delivered in a single inhaler, reduces moderate to severe exacerbations in COPD to a greater extent than dual-inhaler therapy in patients at high risk for exacerbations, according to the IMPACT trial.
The data also show that the triple therapy, a combination of the inhaled glucocorticoid fluticasone furoate, the long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) umeclidinium, and the long-acting ?2-agonist (LABA) vilanterol (Trelegy Ellipta, GlaxoSmithKline), reduces the need for hospitalization from COPD compared with the dual inhaler containing umeclidinium plus vilanterol, but not compared with the inhaler containing fluticasone furoate plus vilanterol. The study was published online April 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
On the basis of these new data, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the triple therapy for approval for long-term, once-daily, maintenance therapy in patients with COPD, including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema.
