Population-based study of LAMA monotherapy effectiveness compared with LABA/LAMA as initial treatment for COPD in primary care

Population-based study of LAMA monotherapy effectiveness compared with LABA/LAMA as initial treatment for COPD in primary carePopulation-based study of LAMA monotherapy effectiveness compared with LABA/LAMA as initial treatment for COPD in primary care, Published online: 28 September 2018; doi:10.1038/s41533-018-0102-xA single rather than combined long-acting inhaler therapy may be adequate for most patients when treating mild to moderate chronic lung disease. Marc Miravitlles at the Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Barcelona, Spain, and co-workers have shown that, in the initial stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), treatment with an inhaled drug called a long-acting anti-muscarinic agent (LAMA) is as effective as an alternative inhaler that combines LAMA with another drug (LABA). The researchers identified 5729 COPD patients from Catalonia starting on inhaled treatment in 2015 and followed up on their progress after 1 year. Patients starting on LAMA monotherapy were matched closely in terms of demographics and previous medical history to those starting on LAMA/LABA treatment. The team found no remarkable differences in clinical characteristics between the groups over the year.

Source: npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine - September 28, 2018 Category: Primary Care Authors: Miriam Barrecheguren M ónica Monteagudo Marc Miravitlles Source Type: research