Study shows GSK COPD treatment allows patients to feel better for longer

Results from a post-hoc analysis of the “TOwards a Revolution in COPD health study” (TORCH) recently published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine stresses the importance of using a combination therapy of fluticasone and salmeterol propionate in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious lung disease which kills more people each year than breast cancer and lung cancer combined.

The results, which studied more than 6,000 COPD patients, show that using GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) fluticasone / salmeterol proprionate (the combination of inhaled steroids with long-acting beta-2-agonists or ICS-LABA) can slow the progression of COPD by significantly lowering the excess decline in lung function seen in patients with the disease by almost 30%, improving the patient’s quality of life during the same period – certainly welcome news for millions of people as this serious lung disease has emerged as a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Globally, COPD is currently the fourth leading cause of death, accounting for more than 3 million deaths every year, and is predicted to rise further in the future.

Locally, the Philippine Burden of Lung Disease (BOLD) Study indicates that 12% or 1 out of 8 individuals 40 years and above living in Metro Manila suffers from COPD, a figure that the researchers say is much higher than earlier estimates.

Treatment with fluticasone / salmeterol propionate decreased the excess decline in lung function seen in patients with COPD by almost 30%, representing a significant slowing of disease progression, as well as improving their patient’s quality of life during the same period.

How is this combination therapy able to create such improvements in COPD patients? The key may be found in studying the role of inflammation in COPD.

COPD is associated with an abnormal inflammatory response to noxious particles, with the severity of inflammation linked to the severity of the disease. The noxious agents initiate an inflammatory response in the pulmonary airways, which eventually results in changes such as mucociliary dysfunction and emphysema. In addition, inflammation generated in the lung may spill out to cause some of the systemic manifestations of COPD such as muscle weakness and weight loss.

Traditionally, early to moderate COPD is treated using bronchodilators but given the presence of inflammation from early to late stages of the disease, anti-inflammatory treatment in the form of inhaled corticosteroids can be considered a treatment option even for COPD sufferers in the earlier stages. Combination therapy using ICS-LABA substantially reduces inflammatory cells, helping to slow the progression of the diseases and leading to a better quality of life for the COPD patient.

Improvements in the quality of life of COPD patients mark a significant step forward in COPD treatment. Quality of life is often severely affected by COPD, as patients frequently experience anxiety, hopelessness and depression. In addition fatigue, commonly aggravated by sleep disturbances and breathlessness, not only severely limits physical activity, but also impacts a patient’s economic and social well-being. Up to 75% of patients with COPD report difficulty in the simplest of everyday activities, such as being out of breath after walking upstairs.

Typically, the health status of patients with COPD declines over time but patients receiving fluticasone and salmeterol treatment in the study actually showed an improvement and their health status at the end of the three years even remained above the baseline that they started with.

“As leaders in the respiratory field, GSK is very excited about these findings,” said GSK Medical Director Dr. Joven Tanchuco. “While COPD is not curable, getting treatment that not only slows the progression of this serious disease in addition to improving the quality of life for COPD patients helps doctors manage the disease as effectively as possible to offer patients the best outcomes.

Patients experiencing the symptoms of COPD including breathlessness, wheezing and persistent cough are advised to consult their doctors early to discuss the right treatment for them and prevent further worsening of their condition.

As one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, GSK is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.