GSK launches once daily, single inhaler-triple therapy for COPD patients

New Delhi: GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals has launched Trelegy Ellipta (fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol), the first single-inhaler triple therapy (SITT) in India for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients in a once-daily regime.

The launch follows the product’s approval by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for use of Trelegy Ellipta as maintenance treatment to prevent and relieve symptoms associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in patients aged 18 and above.

Dr. Rashmi Hegde, Executive Vice President – Medical Affairs, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited, said, “We are thrilled to launch Trelegy Ellipta, enabling a greater number of Indian COPD patients to benefit from this world-leading medicine. This is a significant milestone which exemplifies the GSK ambition for patients. Healthcare professionals in India now have a new once-daily, single inhaler triple therapy for the optimal treatment of their COPD patients.”

Dr. Deepak Talwar, Director & Chair – Pulmonary, Sleep, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine at Metro Group of Hospitals, said, “COPD is associated with major healthcare and socioeconomic burden on patients and their caregivers. In appropriate patients, studies show that a combination of  three different types of medicines for COPD can effectively improve patients’ symptoms and reduce the risk of symptom worsening. Considering 75% COPD patients have four or more co-existing medical conditions, the burden of managing and taking many medications may overwhelm patients, resulting in suboptimal treatment. Single-inhaler triple therapy has the potential role to simplify treatment, improve treatment adherence and patient outcomes.”

In usual clinical care, treatment with single-inhaler Trelegy Ellipta results in significantly more patients with health status improvements and greater lung benefit, versus multi-inhaler triple therapy, with similar safety profiles. Trelegy is delivered via the innovative Ellipta inhaler that provides accurate dosing through its consistent dose delivery mechanism and is associated with less inhaler teaching time compared to other commonly used inhalers.