Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by Dual Bronchodilation with Coformulation of Indacaterol/Glycopyrronium

Bronchodilators are the cornerstone of the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In particular, the most commonly used drugs are inhaled long-acting agents, including long-acting β 2 -adrenergic agonists (LABAs) and long-acting muscarinic receptor antagonists (LAMAs). The combination of a LABA with a LAMA, i.e. of mole cules characterized by different mechanisms of action, results in a synergistic enhancement of their clinical and functional effects. Therefore, this combined treatment can be implemented in a number of cases in which disease control is not adequately achieved by a single active agent such as a LABA or a LAMA. Several LABA/LAMA fixed-dose combinations, mainly made up of newly developed compounds, are currently in advanced phases of experimental evaluation. Within such a context, the aim of this review is to outline the pharmacological basis of dual bronchodilation as well as to discuss the results of the main trials carried out using the drug combination consisting of indacaterol and glycopyrronium, a LABA and a LAMA recently introduced in the treatment of COPD. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel Received: July 4, 2014 Accepted after revision: October 6, 2014 Published online: November 28, 2014 Girolamo Pelaia Campus Universitario ‘S. Venuta’, Viale Europa Località Germaneto IT–88100 Catanzaro (Italy) E-Mail pelaia @ unicz.it © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel 0031–7012/14/0946–0249$39.50/0