BRIEF—Triple combination COPD inhaler approved in the EU

GlaxoSmithKline and Innoviva have been granted marketing authorisation in the EU for Trelegy Ellipta (fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol) as a maintenance treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The label covers adult patients with moderate to severe forms of the disease who have not responded well to a combination of inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting beta2-agonist.

Innoviva chief executive Mike Aguiar said: “Having all three major classes of combination medication (ICS/LABA, LAMA/LABA, and now single inhaler triple therapy) in the single Ellipta inhaler is an important advance in inhaled therapeutics.”

It’s the first once-daily single inhaler triple therapy to be approved in Europe, and the launch is expected this year.