Respimat Stiolto bests Spiriva on COPD exacerbations

Positive new data from the DYNAGITO trial, a 52-week study involving more than 7,800 people across a broad range of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, comparing Stiolto Respimat (tiotropium bromide and olodaterol), a dual bronchodilator, and Spiriva Respimat (tiotropium bromide) in the reduction of COPD exacerbations, were published yesterday in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, according to German family-owned Boehringer Ingelheim, which markets both drugs.

“Exacerbations can have a significant negative impact on people with COPD because they can cause permanent lung damage and possibly lead to lengthy hospitalizations or even death. Therefore, COPD treatment strategies should include steps to reduce the risk of exacerbations,” said Antonio Anzueto, a pulmonologist and professor of medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, who served as an investigator and co-author for DYNAGITO. “Because exacerbations can cause COPD to progress more quickly, studies such as DYNAGITO are important to understand how medicines can help prevent exacerbations from affecting patients.”

The DYNAGITO study results show that treatment with Stiolto Respimat resulted in a 7% lower rate of moderate-to-severe COPD exacerbations compared with Spiriva Respimat alone (p=0.0498), not reaching the targeted significance level (p=0.01) as pre-defined in the study. The study results also show Stiolto Respimat significantly reduced COPD symptoms and improved health-related quality of life, as measured by the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), compared to Spiriva Respimat.