Novartis announces positive results at ATS for once-daily Ultibro® Breezhaler® versus combination therapy (tiotropium plus formoterol)

Novartis announced today new data from the QUANTIFY study, which demonstrated the non-inferiority of Ultibro® Breezhaler® (indacaterol/glycopyrronium) 110/50 mcg compared to tiotropium 18 mcg plus formoterol 12 mcg in terms of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes in moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients at week 26^1,2. Positive results from QUANTIFY are part of 16 Novartis respiratory abstracts being presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference, May 16-21, 2014 in San Diego, CA, USA.

In the QUANTIFY study, which included over 900 COPD patients, once-daily Ultibro Breezhaler showed superior improvements in lung function (trough FEV1) at 26 weeks compared to once-daily tiotropium plus twice-daily formoterol in moderate-to-severe COPD patients. Additionally, patients taking Ultibro Breezhaler were more likely to demonstrate a clinically meaningful improvement in shortness of breath and health-related quality of life (per protocol set) at 26 weeks compared to tiotropium plus formoterol. The safety and tolerability of Ultibro Breezhaler was comparable to the other treatment arm in the study^1,2.

“These positive results from QUANTIFY demonstrate that once-daily Ultibro Breezhaler can provide better symptom control versus a combination of two individual treatments, tiotropium plus formoterol,” said Tim Wright, Global Head of Development, Novartis Pharmaceuticals. “More patients on Ultibro Breezhaler had a meaningful improvement in health-related quality of life demonstrating superiority of our LABA/LAMA vs tiotropium plus formoterol.”

COPD affects an estimated 210 million people worldwide³ and is projected to be the third leading cause of death by 2020⁴. Symptoms can impose a significant burden on patients and reduce quality of life^5,6, but they are often inadequately managed. Treatments that are easy for patients to take and have reliable dose control whilst effectively managing the symptoms of COPD are important to improve patient outcomes^7-9.

QUANTIFY was a 26-week treatment, multicenter, randomized, parallel group, blinded study to assess the efficacy and safety of once-daily Ultibro Breezhaler in 934 patients with moderate-to-severe COPD, versus the free-combination of tiotropium 18 mcg plus formoterol 12 mcg. The primary objective was to demonstrate non-inferiority of Ultibro Breezhaler in HRQoL as assessed by the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire-COPD (SGRQ-C) versus tiotropium plus formoterol after 26 weeks of treatment. Secondary endpoints included transition dyspnea index (TDI) score, trough FEV1, forced vital capacity (FVC) and safety and tolerability^1,2.

References

1.  Geßner C et al. Once-Daily QVA149 Demonstrates Superior Improvements in Lung Function Compared to Tiotropium plus Formoterol: The QUANTIFY Study. [ATS abstract # 50961; Thematic Poster Session D44; Date: May 21, 2014 Time: 8:15 AM-4:30 PM].
2. Korn S et al. Once-Daily QVA149 Improves Dyspnea, Quality of Life and Reduces the Rate of Exacerbations Compared to Tiotropium Plus Formoterol in COPD Patients: The QUANTIFY Study. [ATS abstract # 50965; Thematic Poster Session D44; Date: May 21, 2014 Time: 8:15 AM-4:30 PM].
3. Global Alliance Against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD). Global surveillance, prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases: a comprehensive approach. Available at: http://www.who.int/gard/publications/GARD_Manual/en/. [Accessed 13 May 2014].
4. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Updated 2014. http://www.goldcopd.org/uploads/users/files/GOLD_Report2014_Feb07.pdf. [Accessed 13 May 2014].
5. Fletcher MJ et al. COPD Uncovered: An International survey on the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on a working age population. BMC Public Health 2011;11:612.
6. daCosta M et al. The burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among employed adults. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2012;7:211-219. Published online 2012 March 19. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S29280. [Accessed 13 May 2014].
7. Bryant et al. Improving medication adherence in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review. Respiratory Research 2013;14:109. Available at: http://respiratory-research.com/content/pdf/1465-9921-14-109.pdf. [Accessed 13 May 2014].
8. Chrystyn H et al. Impact of patients’ satisfaction with their inhalers on treatment compliance and health status in COPD. Respir Med 2014;108(2):358-65.
9. Pavkov et al. Characteristics of a capsule based dry powder inhaler for the delivery of indacaterol. CMRO 2010;26; 11:2527-2533. doi:10.1185/03007995.2010.518916. [Accessed 13 May 2014].