Summary Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) kills more than 3 million people worldwide every year. Despite progress in the treatment of symptoms and prevention of acute exacerbations, few ...advances have been made to ameliorate disease progression or affect mortality. A better understanding of the complex disease mechanisms resulting in COPD is needed. Smoking cessation programmes, increasing physical activity, and early detection and treatment of comorbidities are further key components to reduce the burden of the disease. However, without a global political and economic effort to reduce tobacco use, to regulate environmental exposure, and to find alternatives to the massive use of biomass fuel, COPD will remain a major health-care problem for decades to come.
Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) is a member of the PDE enzyme superfamily that inactivates cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate, and is the main PDE isoenzyme occurring in ...cells involved in inflammatory airway disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a preventable and treatable disease and is characterized by airflow obstruction that is not fully reversible. Chronic progressive symptoms, particularly dyspnoea, chronic bronchitis and impaired overall health are worse in those who have frequent, acute episodes of symptom exacerbation. Although several experimental PDE4 inhibitors are in clinical development, roflumilast, a highly selective PDE4 inhibitor, is the first in its class to be licensed, and has recently been approved in several countries for oral, once‐daily treatment of severe COPD. Clinical trials have demonstrated that roflumilast improves lung function and reduces exacerbation frequency in COPD. Furthermore, its unique mode of action may offer the potential to target the inflammatory processes underlying COPD. Roflumilast is effective when used concomitantly with all forms of bronchodilator and even in patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids. Roflumilast thus represents an important addition to current therapeutic options for COPD patients with chronic bronchitis, including those who remain symptomatic despite treatment. This article reviews the current status of PDE4 inhibitors, focusing on the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of roflumilast. In particular, it provides an overview of the effects of roflumilast on lung function and exacerbations, glucose homoeostasis and weight loss, and the concomitant use of long‐acting beta2‐adrenergic receptor agonists and short‐acting muscarinic receptor antagonists.
LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed issue on Respiratory Pharmacology. To view the other articles in this issue visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2011.163.issue‐1
Non-small-cell lung cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths from cancer worldwide. Therefore, improvements in diagnostics and treatments are urgently needed. In this review, we will discuss the ...evolution of lung cancer staging towards more non-invasive, endoscopy-based, and image-based methods, and the development of stage-adapted treatment. A special focus will be placed on the role of novel surgical approaches and modern radiotherapy strategies for early stages of disease, the effect of multimodal treatment in locally advanced disease, and ongoing developments in the treatment of patients with metastatic disease. In particular, we will include an emphasis on targeted therapies, which are based on the assumption that a treatable driver mutation or gene rearrangement is present within the tumour. Finally, the position of lung cancer treatment on the pathway to personalised therapy will be discussed.
The Asthma-COPD Overlap Syndrome Postma, Dirkje S; Rabe, Klaus F
The New England journal of medicine,
2015-Sep-24, Volume:
373, Issue:
13
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Although in textbooks asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are viewed as distinct disorders, there is increasing awareness that many patients have features of both. This article ...reviews the asthma-COPD overlap syndrome.
Such chronic diseases can develop either with COPD or independently of the disorder.4-7 The most common comorbidities described in association with COPD axe skeletal muscle abnormalities, ...hypertension, diabetes, coronary-artery disease, heart failure, pulmonary infections, cancer, and pulmonary vascular disease.47 Chronic comorbid diseases affect health outcomes in COPD;4 in fact, patients with COPD mainly die of non-respiratory disorders such as cardiovascular diseases or cancer.8 Chronic diseases account for a large proportion of human illness and include cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes.9 An unprecedented increase in chronic diseases is expected in the next few decades as populations age,10 a prospect that is of great concern to health authorities.9 Chronic diseases typically develop together.4,9,11 COPD is associated with chronic heart failure in more than 20% of patients12 and with osteoporosis in up to 70% of patients-in part, independently from treatment with steroids, decreased physical activity, or both.13 Furthermore, in a small study, almost 50% of patients with COPD had one or more components of the metabolic syndrome.1* Conversely, chronic heart failure is associated, in more than 50% of patients, with arterial hypertension and coronary or peripheral artery diseases, with diabetes in 20-30%, and with anaemia in 20-30%.15 Type 2 diabetes is linked to hypertension in more than 70% of individuals and to cardiovascular diseases and obesity in more than 80%.16 Diabetes is independently associated with reduced lung function, which together with obesity could further worsen the severity of COPD.17 Almost half of all people aged 65 years or older have at least three chronic medical conditions, and a fifth have five or more, with costs rising exponentially in patients with two or more comorbid chronic diseases.11,18 The strongest predictive factors of increased cost in COPD patients are age, chronic symptoms such as chronic dyspnoea and wheezing, and comorbidities; comorbid diseases account for more than 50% of health-care resources.4 Potentially, the common mechanism by which major risk factors such as smoking, hyperlipidaemia, obesity, and hypertension lead to chronic disease is systemic inflammation.19·20 C-reactive protein is almost invariably increased in all components of the chronic systemic inflammatory syndrome,21 suggesting that this acute-phase protein could represent the sentinel biomarker to all chronic diseases.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) frequently occur together and their coexistence is associated with worse outcomes than either condition alone. ...Pathophysiological links between COPD and CVD include lung hyperinflation, systemic inflammation and COPD exacerbations. COPD treatments may produce beneficial cardiovascular (CV) effects, such as long-acting bronchodilators, which are associated with improvements in arterial stiffness, pulmonary vasoconstriction, and cardiac function. However, data are limited regarding whether these translate into benefits in CV outcomes. Some studies have suggested that treatment with long-acting β
-agonists and long-acting muscarinic antagonists leads to an increase in the risk of CV events, particularly at treatment initiation, although the safety profile of these agents with prolonged use appears reassuring. Some CV medications may have a beneficial impact on COPD outcomes, but there have been concerns about β-blocker use leading to bronchospasm in COPD, which may result in patients not receiving guideline-recommended treatment. However, there are few data suggesting harm with these agents and patients should not be denied β-blockers if required. Clearer recommendations are necessary regarding the identification and management of comorbid CVD in patients with COPD in order to facilitate early intervention and appropriate treatment.
Triple fixed-dose regimens of an inhaled glucocorticoid, a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), and a long-acting β
-agonist (LABA) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been ...studied at single dose levels of inhaled glucocorticoid, but studies at two dose levels are lacking.
In a 52-week, phase 3, randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of triple therapy at two dose levels of inhaled glucocorticoid in patients with moderate-to-very-severe COPD and at least one exacerbation in the past year, we assigned patients in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive twice-daily inhaled doses of triple therapy (inhaled glucocorticoid 320 μg or 160 μg of budesonide, a LAMA 18 μg of glycopyrrolate, and a LABA 9.6 μg of formoterol) or one of two dual therapies (18 μg of glycopyrrolate plus 9.6 μg of formoterol or 320 μg of budesonide plus 9.6 μg of formoterol). The primary end point was the annual rate (the estimated mean number per patient per year) of moderate or severe COPD exacerbations, as analyzed in the modified intention-to-treat population with the use of on-treatment data only.
The modified intention-to-treat population comprised 8509 patients. The annual rates of moderate or severe exacerbations were 1.08 in the 320-μg-budesonide triple-therapy group (2137 patients), 1.07 in the 160-μg-budesonide triple-therapy group (2121 patients), 1.42 in the glycopyrrolate-formoterol group (2120 patients), and 1.24 in the budesonide-formoterol group (2131 patients). The rate was significantly lower with 320-μg-budesonide triple therapy than with glycopyrrolate-formoterol (24% lower: rate ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.69 to 0.83; P<0.001) or budesonide-formoterol (13% lower: rate ratio, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79 to 0.95; P = 0.003). Similarly, the rate was significantly lower with 160-μg-budesonide triple therapy than with glycopyrrolate-formoterol (25% lower: rate ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.83; P<0.001) or budesonide-formoterol (14% lower: rate ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.79 to 0.95; P = 0.002). The incidence of any adverse event was similar across the treatment groups (range, 61.7 to 64.5%); the incidence of confirmed pneumonia ranged from 3.5 to 4.5% in the groups that included inhaled glucocorticoid use and was 2.3% in the glycopyrrolate-formoterol group.
Triple therapy with twice-daily budesonide (at either the 160-μg or 320-μg dose), glycopyrrolate, and formoterol resulted in a lower rate of moderate or severe COPD exacerbations than glycopyrrolate-formoterol or budesonide-formoterol. (Funded by AstraZeneca, ETHOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02465567.).
Dupilumab is a fully human anti-interleukin-4 receptor α monoclonal antibody that blocks both interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 signaling. Its effectiveness in reducing oral glucocorticoid use in ...patients with severe asthma while maintaining asthma control is unknown.
We randomly assigned 210 patients with oral glucocorticoid-treated asthma to receive add-on dupilumab (at a dose of 300 mg) or placebo every 2 weeks for 24 weeks. After a glucocorticoid dose-adjustment period before randomization, glucocorticoid doses were adjusted in a downward trend from week 4 to week 20 and then maintained at a stable dose for 4 weeks. The primary end point was the percentage reduction in the glucocorticoid dose at week 24. Key secondary end points were the proportion of patients at week 24 with a reduction of at least 50% in the glucocorticoid dose and the proportion of patients with a reduction to a glucocorticoid dose of less than 5 mg per day. Severe exacerbation rates and the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV
) before bronchodilator use were also assessed.
The percentage change in the glucocorticoid dose was -70.1% in the dupilumab group, as compared with -41.9% in the placebo group (P<0.001); 80% versus 50% of the patients had a dose reduction of at least 50%, 69% versus 33% had a dose reduction to less than 5 mg per day, and 48% versus 25% completely discontinued oral glucocorticoid use. Despite reductions in the glucocorticoid dose, in the overall population, dupilumab treatment resulted in a severe exacerbation rate that was 59% (95% confidence interval CI, 37 to 74) lower than that in the placebo group and resulted in an FEV
that was 0.22 liters (95% CI, 0.09 to 0.34) higher. Injection-site reactions were more common with dupilumab than with placebo (9% vs. 4%). Transient blood eosinophilia was observed in more patients in the dupilumab group than in the placebo group (14% vs. 1%).
In patients with glucocorticoid-dependent severe asthma, dupilumab treatment reduced oral glucocorticoid use while decreasing the rate of severe exacerbations and increasing the FEV
. Transient eosinophilia was observed in approximately 1 in 7 dupilumab-treated patients. (Funded by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; LIBERTY ASTHMA VENTURE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02528214 .).
Summary Background Roflumilast reduces exacerbations in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its effect in patients using fixed combinations of inhaled corticosteroids and ...longacting β2 agonists is unknown. We postulated that roflumilast would reduce exacerbations in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at risk for exacerbations, even in combination with inhaled corticosteroid and longacting β2 agonist treatment. Methods For this 1-year double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, multicentre, phase 3–4 trial, the Roflumilast and Exacerbations in patients receiving Appropriate Combination Therapy (REACT) study, we enrolled patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from 203 centres (outpatient clinics, hospitals, specialised pulmonologists, and family doctors) in 21 countries. Eligible patients were 40 years of age or older with a smoking history of at least 20 pack-years and a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with severe airflow limitation, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and at least two exacerbations in the previous year. We used a computerised central randomisation system to randomly assign patients in a 1:1 ratio to the two treatment groups: roflumilast 500 μg or placebo given orally once daily together with a fixed inhaled corticosteroid and longacting β2 agonist combination. Background tiotropium treatment was allowed. All patients and investigators were masked to group assignment. The primary outcome was the rate of moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations per patient per year, analysed by intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT01329029. Findings Between April 3, 2011, and May 27, 2014, we enrolled 1945 eligible participants and randomly assigned 973 to the roflumilast group and 972 to the placebo group. The rate of moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations was 13·2% lower in the roflumilast group than in the placebo group according to a Poisson regression analysis (roflumilast 0·805 vs placebo 0·927; rate ratio RR 0·868 95% CI 0·753–1·002, p=0·0529), and 14·2% lower according to a predefined sensitivity analysis using negative binomial regression (0·823 vs 0·959; 0·858 0·740–0·995, p=0·0424). Adverse events were reported by 648 (67%) of 968 patients receiving roflumilast and by 572 (59%) of 967 patients in the placebo group; adverse event-associated patient withdrawal from the study was also more common in the roflumilast group (104/968 11%) than in the placebo group (52/967 5%). The most frequently reported serious adverse events were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations and pneumonia, and 17 (1·8%) deaths occurred in the roflumilast group compared with 18 (1·9%) in the placebo group. Interpretation Our findings suggest that roflumilast reduces exacerbations and hospital admissions in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic bronchitis who are at risk of frequent and severe exacerbations despite inhaled corticosteroid and longacting β2 agonist therapy, even in combination with tiotropium. Funding Takeda.
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