LABA/LAMA combinations instead of LABA/ICS combinations may prevent or delay exacerbations of COPD in some patients

Pharmacological treatment and current controversies in COPD

Bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and antibiotics are still key elements for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the 2019 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) recommendations and this is due in part to our current inability to discover new drugs capable of decisively influencing the course of the disease. However, in recent years, information has been produced that, if used correctly, can allow us to improve the use of the available therapies.

The Role of Fixed-Dose Dual Bronchodilator Therapy in Treating COPD

The incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is rising in the United States, and the disease represents a significant source of morbidity and mortality. Primary care providers face many challenges in COPD diagnosis and treatment, as different clinical phenotypes require personalized treatment approaches. Patient adherence and inhaler technique also contribute to treatment outcomes. Around 48% of primary care providers are unaware of guidelines and recommendations for COPD diagnosis and treatment, which may lead to misdiagnosis or undertreatment of COPD symptoms. Inadequately treated COPD can impair patients' quality of life and ability to perform everyday activities. Long-acting bronchodilator therapy is the cornerstone treatment for patients with COPD; combinations of bronchodilators of different pharmacological classes have shown improved efficacy vs monotherapy. We review the rationale behind fixed-dose dual bronchodilator therapy, evidence for the 4 currently Food and Drug Administration-approved long-acting anticholinergic bronchodilators/long-acting β₂-agonists fixed combinations, patient suitability for the available inhaler devices, and practical guidance to optimize personalized care for patients with COPD.

The Challenges of Precision Medicine in COPD

Pheno-/endotyping chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is really important because it provides patients with precise and personalized medicine. The central concept of precision medicine is to take individual variability into account when making management decisions. Precision medicine should ensure that patients get the right treatment at the right dose at the right time, with minimum harmful consequences and maximum efficacy. Ideally, we should search for genetic and molecular biomarker-based profiles. Given the clinical complexity of COPD, it seems likely that a panel of several biomarkers will be required to characterize pathogenetic factors and their course over time. The need for biomarkers to guide the clinical care of individuals with COPD and to enhance the possibilities of success in drug development is clear and urgent, but biomarker development is tremendously challenging and expensive, and translation of research efforts to date has been largely ineffective. Furthermore, the development of personalized treatments will require a much more detailed understanding of the clinical and biological heterogeneity of COPD. Therefore, we are still far from being able to apply precision medicine in COPD and the treatable traits and FEV₁-free approaches are attempts to precision medicine in COPD that must be considered still quite unsophisticated.

Comparative effectiveness of indacaterol/glycopyrronium in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Indacaterol/glycopyrronium has been the first long-acting β₂-agonist (LABA)/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) fixed-dose combination to be approved as a maintenance treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Comparative effectiveness studies indicate that it is constantly superior to a LAMA or a LABA alone or even a LABA/inhaled corticosteroid combination, regardless of the drugs used. However, definitive data documenting the benefit of indacaterol/glycopyrronium fixed-dose combination over these consolidated therapies are still absent in a real-world setting, although the results of pivotal randomized controlled trials show that this is the case. Therefore, in addition to the large body of evidence already available supporting the use of indacaterol/glycopyrronium, pragmatic observational studies or ad hoc designed trials should be planned to collect data that could confirm the high effectiveness of indacaterol/glycopyrronium even in the real-life clinical practice.

An update on the pharmacotherapeutic management of lower respiratory tract infections

INTRODUCTION

Our knowledge about lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) has improved substantially in the last years, but the management of respiratory infections is still a challenge and we are still far from using precision medicine in their treatment. Areas covered: The approaches developed in recent years to improve the pharmacotherapeutic management of LRTIs, such as novel diagnostic assays to facilitate medical decision-making, attempts for selecting an optimal empiric antibiotic regimen, and the role of new and possibly unproven adjunctive therapies, are described. Expert opinion: Early and appropriate antibiotics remain the cornerstone in the treatment of LRTIs. The updated trend is to apply antimicrobial stewardship principles and initiatives to optimize both the management and the outcomes of LTRIs. Biomarkers, mainly C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT), can improve the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of LRTIs and aid to guide antibiotic therapy. The widespread use of antimicrobial agents has greatly contributed to faster development of antibiotic resistance and the emergence of opportunistic pathogens, which substitute the indigenous microbiota. However, very few new antibiotics in development to overcome existing resistance and ensure continued success in the treatment of LRTIs have been approved, likely because antibiotic stewardship programs discourage the use of new agents.