Faster reduction in hyperinflation and improvement in lung ventilation inhomogeneity promoted by aclidinium compared to glycopyrronium in severe stable COPD patients. A randomized crossover study

This study evaluated the effects of aclidinium bromide 400 μg and glycopyrronium bromide 50 μg on these parameters. Patients with stable severe/very severe COPD were randomized in this double-blind, double-dummy, crossover, Phase IV study. Patients received single doses of each drug on separate days. Primary endpoints were changes in residual volume (RV) and intra-thoracic gas volume (ITGV), assessed by full-body plethysmography. Other endpoints included changes variations in lung ventilation inhomogeneity (Phase III slope of single-breath nitrogen washout test, SBN2), dyspnoea visual analogue scale, and pulmonary specific total airway resistances. Assessments were performed at baseline and 5, 15, 30, 60, and 180 min post-administration. Thirty-seven patients were randomized (31 male; mean age 71 years). Aclidinium and glycopyrronium significantly improved ITGV versus baseline at all-time points (p < 0.05). Significant improvements in RV were observed after 5 min with aclidinium and after 60 min with glycopyrronium. RV improvements were significantly greater with aclidinium than glycopyrronium from 5 to 60 min post-administration (p < 0.05). Both treatments improved dyspnoea versus baseline at all-time points (p < 0.05). Aclidinium significantly improved ventilation inhomogeneity versus baseline at all-time points; no significant changes were observed for glycopyrronium. For the first time two long-acting muscarinic antagonists have been comp...
Source: Pulmonary Pharmacology and Therapeutics - Category: Respiratory Medicine Source Type: research