SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF FORMOTEROL/TIOTROPIUM BROMIDE AND FORMOTEROL/GLYCOPYRRONIUM COMBINATION IN COPD WITH GOLD GRADE 3 PATIENTS

An increasing airflow limitation that is not entirely reversible is a hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In patients with COPD, the present study investigated the effectiveness and safety of formoterol/tiotropium bromide vs formoterol/glycopyrronium in fixed combinations. In conjunction with formoterol, the long-acting anti-muscarinic drug glycopyrrolate has recently received approval for the maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Studies on the combination of long-acting beta 2 agonist and glycopyrrolate, particularly in patients from India, are scarce. Therefore, it was thought interesting to compare the safety and effectiveness of formoterol/tiotropium fixed dose combinations to formoterol/glycopyrrolate fixed dose combinations in GOLD Grade 3 COPD patients. In the COPD patients of GOLD Grade 3, the efficacy and safety of formoterol/glycopyrrolate and formoterol/tiotropium was studied. A total of 68 patients was assessed by using the Spirometry, the COPD Assessment Test score, and the Symptom score. The assessment of the effectiveness of treatment was done on days zero (before the therapeutic intervention) and at intervals of two weeks up to 12 weeks. Spirometric variables like Forced Expiratory Volume (In one second), mean Symptom score and COPD Assessment score have shown an improvement following the therapy with the inhaled formoterol/glycopyrrolate and formoterol/tiotropium combination in GOLD Grade 3 COPD patients. The effectiveness and the patient safety profile of formoterol/glycopyrrolate combination was non-inferior to formoterol/tiotropium in the patients of GOLD Grade 3 COPD.