Asthma and COPD first for Ireland

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Theravance, Inc (NASDAQ: THRX) have announced the launch, the first inhaled corticosteroid/long acting beta2-agonist (ICS/LABA) combination to provide continuous 24-hour efficacy for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Ireland.

Respiratory disease is a growing problem in Ireland, which has the fourth highest prevalence of asthma in the world.   It is estimated that one in every eight or 470,000 people in Ireland have asthma. Despite medical advances, 92% of asthma patients outside of clinical trials still remain uncontrolled and efficient inhaler technique is demonstrated by only 46 – 59% of patients.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is highly prevalent and has a large impact on quality of life for patients and their families.  Based on international figures, over 180,000 people in Ireland have moderate or severe COPD disease, only half of whom may be diagnosed.

Commenting on the launch of Relvar Ellipta, Professor Richard Costello, Consultant Physician in Respiratory Medicine at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in  Ireland said, “Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are chronic lung diseases that affect thousands of people in the Ireland. They can severely affect a person’s ability to lead a normal life.

He added, “Both diseases are associated with attacks - exacerbations of the underlying disease, often triggered by infection, where symptoms worsen, breathing becomes even harder and treatment with high dose oral steroids can be required. People with attacks often require an admission to hospital to treat their disease. The mainstay of treatment for improving symptoms and reducing attacks for both asthma and COPD is inhaled medication; the release of Relvar Ellipta is a welcome addition in the fight against these chronic lung diseases.”

Relvar is administered via the straightforward Ellipta inhaler device. Ease-of-use handling studies have shown that over 95% of asthma and COPD patients used the Ellipta inhaler device correctly for the first time and after 6 weeks in COPD patients and 4 weeks in asthma patients.