Inhaled therapies in patients with moderate COPD in clinical practice: current thinking

Can Adherence to and Persistence with Inhaled Long-acting Bronchodilators Improve the Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease? Results from a German Disease Management Program

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Adherence to and persistence with inhaled long-acting bronchodilators (ILAB), is commonly considered to be a relevant driver of perceived health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the topic is rarely studied with real-world data. Using survey and health insurance claims data, this study investigates the effect of adherence to and persistence with ILAB on EQ-5D-5L visual analog scale (VAS) in ILAB users who were enrolled in the German disease management programs (DMP) for COPD.

METHODS

Included ILAB users were aged ≥ 18 years, continuously insured with AOK Bavaria and enrolled in the DMP for COPD. Adherence to ILAB [proportion of days covered (PDC); PDC ≥ 80%], and persistence (days of uninterrupted ILAB therapy) were assessed in the year preceding the study's HRQoL questionnaire. In a cross-sectional design we applied quasi-Poisson models with log link function and subgroup analyses. The robustness of results was analyzed with comprehensive sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS

Patients with PDC ≥ 80% had 2.96% higher VAS scores than patients with lower PDCs. From all analyses, patients with GOLD stage III had the highest effects from PDC ≥ 80% (5.33% increased VAS). Patients without heart failure profited significantly more from PDC ≥ 80% (+ 4.34% vs - 2.88%) and from an additional persistent day (+ 0.01% vs - 0.01%) than patients with heart failure.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, ILAB users significantly profited from PDC ≥ 80%, but not from continuous PDC or persistent days. In secondary subgroup analyses, patients with GOLD stage III and patients without heart failure particularly profited from PDC ≥ 80%. Only patients without heart failure particularly profited from more persistent days. Because identified effects were small and often not robust, advancing adherence and persistence alone may not improve the German DMP for COPD substantially.

Swiss Experience in Therapy With Dual Bronchodilation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Relation to Self-Reported Physical Functionality

Background

Medical therapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) usually includes inhaled dual bronchodilation leading not only to an improvement in symptoms but also to an increase in physical performance. However, it remains unknown whether responder rates to dual bronchodilation differ between the Swiss subgroup in comparison to participants of other European countries.

Methods

The non-interventional OTIVACTO trial investigated changes in self-reported physical functioning in COPD patients treated with tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 µg fixed dose combination for 6 weeks. The cut-off between responder and non-responder was defined as a minimum increase of 10 points using the 10-question physical functioning questionnaire (PF-10) score. We searched for patterns of the responder patient group and compared the results of the whole dataset with the subgroup of Swiss participants.

Results

Compared to the total cohort (n = 7,608), the Swiss participants (n = 94) were predominantly > 65 years of age and had significantly more comorbidities. There were no significant differences according to COPD stage, smoking status, exacerbation rate in the last 12 months and modified Medical Research Council questionnaire (mMRC) score between the total cohort and the Swiss collective. There were no significant differences between the Swiss subgroup and the total cohort with regard to response to the medication in the PF-10 score. In the intragroup comparison, patients with high mMRC score showed significantly higher values in the PF-10 in both groups. The number of exacerbations had no influence on the PF-10 score in the Swiss subgroup but in the total cohort.

Conclusion

In terms of age and number of comorbidities, significant differences were found between the overall patient population and the Swiss participants, having no influence on the success of the medication. The patients suffering from increased dyspnea benefited most from tiotropium/olodaterol treatment (Clinical Trials Registry NCT02720757).

Therapeutic Success of Tiotropium/Olodaterol, Measured Using the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), in Routine Clinical Practice: A Multinational Non-Interventional Study

BACKGROUND

The Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) is a simple patient-reported tool to measure clinical control of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

OBJECTIVE

This open-label, single-arm, non-interventional study (NCT03663569) investigated changes in CCQ score during treatment with tiotropium/olodaterol in clinical practice.

METHODS

Data were included from consenting COPD patients, enrolled in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine, who were receiving a new prescription for tiotropium/olodaterol according to the treating physician in a real-world environment. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of therapeutic success, defined as a 0.4-point decrease in CCQ score after treatment with tiotropium/olodaterol for approximately 6 weeks.

RESULTS

Overall, 4819 patients were treated; baseline and Week 6 CCQ scores were available for 4700 patients, mostly classified as Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) B (51.6%) or D (42.7%). After 6 weeks' treatment, 81.4% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 80.24-82.49) of patients achieved therapeutic success; mean improvement in overall CCQ score was 1.02 points (95% CI 1.00-1.05). Improved CCQ score was seen in 92.2% of patients (95% CI 91.43-92.98), 2.5% had no change and 5.3% showed a worsening. When stratified by prior treatment, the greatest benefit was seen in treatment-naïve patients, with 85.7% achieving therapeutic success, compared with 79.5% of those pretreated with long-acting β2-agonist (LABA)/inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and 74.2% of those pretreated with LABA or long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) monotherapy. Overall, rescue medication decreased by 1.25 puffs/day (95% CI 1.19-1.31) versus baseline. In total, 29 patients (0.6%) reported drug-related adverse events and 7 patients reported serious adverse events (0.15%).

CONCLUSION

In 4700 COPD patients, 6 weeks' treatment with tiotropium/olodaterol, as initial treatment or follow-up to LAMA or LABA monotherapy or LABA/ICS, improved CCQ and decreased rescue medication use. The adverse event profile was consistent with the known safety profile of tiotropium/olodaterol.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease phenotypes: imprint on pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Over the past few years, there has been cumulating interest in describing this heterogeneity and using this information to group patients into different COPD phenotypes. The term phenotype is defined as single or combination of disease attributes that describe differences between individuals with COPD as they relate to clinically meaningful outcomes. It describes also the physical appearance or biochemical characteristics which result from the genotype-environment interaction. Furthermore, it clearly identifies subgroups with a significant impact in the prognosis. Recently, approaches to COPD phenotyping have been significantly enhanced in tandem with developments in understanding the disease’s various pathological, clinical and genetic features. This knowledge inspired the researchers to investigate more tailored therapeutic strategies that could not only give a more potent effect but also help to avoid the traditional therapy’s undesirable side effects. Eventually, it could be said that the phenotypic approach to COPD in the last decade had a huge impact on daily practice and management delivered to COPD patients. In this review, we highlight the impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options on COPD outcomes, using a personalized treatment strategy based on different phenotypes.

Bis-Quinolinium Cyclophane Blockers of SK Potassium Channels Are Antagonists of M3 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Dequalinium is used as an antimicrobial compound for oral health and other microbial infections. Derivatives of dequalinium, the bis-quinolinium cyclophanes UCL 1684 and UCL 1848, are high affinity SK potassium channel antagonists. Here we investigated these compounds as M3 muscarinic receptor (mACHR) antagonists. We used the R-CEPIAer endoplasmic reticulum calcium reporter to functionally assay for Gq-coupled receptor signaling, and investigated the bis-quinolinium cyclophanes as antagonists of M3 mACHR activation in transfected CHO cells. Given mACHR roles in airway smooth muscle (ASM) contractility, we also tested the ability of UCL 1684 to relax ASM. We find that these compounds antagonized M3 mACHRs with an IC₅₀ of 0.27 μM for dequalinium chloride, 1.5 μM for UCL 1684 and 1.0 μM for UCL 1848. UCL 1684 also antagonized M1 (IC₅₀ 0.12 μM) and M5 (IC₅₀ 0.52 μM) mACHR responses. UCL 1684 was determined to be a competitive antagonist at M3 receptors as it increased the EC₅₀ for carbachol without a reduction in the maximum response. The Ki for UCL1684 determined from competition binding experiments was 909 nM. UCL 1684 reduced carbachol-evoked ASM contractions (>90%, IC₅₀ 0.43 μM), and calcium mobilization in rodent and human lung ASM cells. We conclude that dequalinium and bis-quinolinium cyclophanes antagonized M3 mACHR activation at sub- to low micromolar concentrations, with UCL 1684 acting as an ASM relaxant. Caution should be taken when using these compounds to block SK potassium channels, as inhibition of mACHRs may be a side-effect if excessive concentrations are used.

Impact of pulmonary rehabilitation programs in improving health status in COPD patients

Pulmonary rehabilitation programme (PRP) have a positive impact on multiple outcomes of COPD, such as decreasing symptoms, increasing exercise tolerance and improving general health status. The aim of this study is to evaluate exercise tolerance impairment and to assess the impact of PRP in improving health status in patients diagnosed with COPD. It was conducted a prospective parallel group study in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Department of the Clinical Hospital "V. Babes”, Timisoara, from 2007 to 2010. The subjects included in the study were patients diagnosed with COPD stages I-IV GOLD, initially evaluated and started a PRP, then re-evaluated after 3 weeks and 6 months. The study group included 168 patients, 158 men, mean age 61.73 years. The initial evaluation revealed higher values of dyspnea scores using mMRC scale in advanced COPD stages (3.69±0.77 in patients with COPD stage IV, vs 0.88±0.5 in patients with COPD stage, p<0.05), decreased Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), PImax and PEmax, and 6 minutes walking distance values corresponding with COPD severity stages. Re-evaluation at 3 weeks and 6 months after the pulmonary rehabilitation programme was applied showed significant improved dyspnea scores and exercise tolerance. The results of this study reconfirmed the positive and persistent impact of pulmonary rehabilitation programme on muscle dysfunction, dyspnea, and quality of life in COPD patients, regardless of severity. Key words: COPD, pulmonary rehabilitation programme, 6 minutes walking test, pedometry,

Improvement In Self-Reported Physical Functioning With Tiotropium/Olodaterol In Central And Eastern European COPD Patients

Background

Reduced physical activity is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with COPD. Studies suggest that treatment with the long-acting muscarinic antagonist tiotropium and the long-acting β₂-agonist olodaterol increases exercise capacity. This study assessed the effects of a fixed-dose combination (FDC) of tiotropium/olodaterol (delivered via Respimat^®) on physical functioning in patients with stable COPD in a “real-world setting”.

Methods

An international, open-label, single-arm, non-interventional study conducted in nine countries measuring changes in self-reported physical functioning in COPD patients treated with tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 μg FDC for approximately 6 weeks. The primary endpoint was therapeutic success, defined as a minimum 10-point increase in the 10-question Physical Functioning Questionnaire (PF-10) score. Secondary endpoints included absolute change in PF-10 from Visit 1 to Visit 2, patient general condition (measured by Physician’s Global Evaluation score) and patient satisfaction with the treatment and device (assessed by Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire at the end of the study period).

Results

Therapeutic success was observed in 67.8% of 7218 patients (95% CI 66.7, 68.8) in the final analysis set after approximately 6 weeks of treatment with tiotropium/olodaterol. Mean change in PF-10 score between Visit 1 and Visit 2 was 16.6 points (95% CI 16.2, 17.0). Therapeutic success was 64.3% (95% CI 63.0–65.6%) in patients with infrequent (≤1) and 76.1% (95% CI 74.3–77.9%) in patients with frequent (≥2) exacerbations (p<0.0001). Patient general condition improved as indicated by an improvement in Physician’s Global Evaluation scores between visits. Most patients were very satisfied or satisfied with tiotropium/olodaterol treatment in general (81%), reported inhalation satisfaction (85%), and satisfactory handling of the device (84%). 1.3% of patients reported an investigator-defined drug-related adverse event.

Conclusion

Treatment with tiotropium/olodaterol led to an improvement in self-reported physical functioning in patients with COPD.

Early management of COPD: where are we now and where do we go from here? A Delphi consensus project

PURPOSE

There is a lack of consensus on the most appropriate early diagnostic strategy, criteria for early access to treatment and follow-up approach for patients with COPD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A Delphi consensus project investigated the early management of COPD. We formulated two questionnaires for completion by pneumologists in Italy.

RESULTS

A total of 207 specialists completed questionnaire 1 and 184 of them questionnaire 2, between November 2016 and October 2017. Early diagnosis of COPD was considered uncommon for 93.2% of the expert panel. Regardless of the definition of "early diagnosis" - a diagnosis made before the clinical manifestation of the disease for most responders (60.4%) - experts were confident of the positive effects of early disease management, which they consider is effective in modifying the natural history of the disease. Lack of awareness of the disease was considered the first limiting factor to early COPD management for 78% of respondents. The most effective steps to reduce functional decline were considered to be smoking cessation, followed by long-acting β2-agonist (LABA)/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), LAMA, LABA, and finally inhaled corticosteroid/LABA (P<0.01 for each paired comparison). Specialists considered it "inappropriate" for general practitioners to perform both the early diagnosis and therapy of COPD without the involvement of a specialist.

CONCLUSION

Early management of COPD is uncommon, and although data on the effects of early disease management on long-term outcomes are limited, Italian experts are confident of the clinical efficacy of this approach.

Treatment strategies after acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Impact on mortality

INTRODUCTION

Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is a common reason for presentation to emergency departments (ED), but the management of these episodes is often heterogeneous regardless of their potential impact on short-term adverse outcomes.

METHODS

This was a longitudinal, retrospective study of all patients >40 years old admitted to the ED of two Spanish teaching hospitals for an AECOPD between January 1st and May 31st, 2016. All data were collected from electronic medical records. The primary outcomes were patient treatment at discharge and 90-day mortality. Logistic regression was used to model the determinants of 90-day mortality.

RESULTS

Of the 465 included patients, 56% were prescribed a 3-drug combination at hospital discharge, 22% a 2-drug combination, 19% a single drug, and 4% other or no treatment. Approximately 8% of patients died within 90 days after an AECOPD. Multivariate logistic models revealed that having more than 2 severe exacerbations within the last 12 months (OR (95% CI): 15.12 (4.22-54.22)) and being prescribed a single drug at discharge (OR (95% CI): 7.23 (2.44-21.38)) were the main determinants of 90-day mortality after an AECOPD.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reflects the real-life heterogeneity in the pharmacological treatments prescribed after an ED admission for an AECOPD and suggests the potential impact of suboptimal inhaled treatment strategies on 90-day mortality rates.