Sunovion to Present Outcomes of Nebulized LAMA Bronchodilator Therapy for COPD at ATS 2017

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals will present data from Phase 3 studies of SUN-101/eFlow as a potential maintenance therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at the American Thoracic Society 2017 International Conference (ATS 2017), to be held May 19-24 in Washington, D.C.

Sunovion will also present data on both Brovana (arformoterol tartrate) inhalation solution and Utibron Neohaler (indacaterol/glycopyrrolate) inhalation powder.

The company, based in Marlborough, Massachusetts, will offer seven poster presentations demonstrating the safety and efficacy of SUN-101/eFlow, a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) bronchodilator delivered via Sunovion’s proprietary eFlow nebulizer.

Presentations will also include data from a survey showing patient satisfaction with the eFlow device, as well as data from two health economics and outcomes research studies assessing factors that influence the use of nebulized long-acting beta agonists (LABA) in the treatment of COPD and the effect of long-acting versus short-acting bronchodilators on COPD-related hospital re-admissions.

“These presentations demonstrate our commitment to improving the lives of patients with COPD by better understanding the treatment landscape and advancing innovative treatment options, including nebulized and handheld products, for patients at various stages of the disease,” Thomas H. Goodin, Sunovion’s senior director of clinical development, said in a press release. “We look forward to presenting data from our portfolio of COPD products that highlight our mission to address unmet needs for people living with COPD.”

SUN-101 (glycopyrrolate) is delivered via eFlow and is currently being developed as a nebulized treatment for moderate-to-severe COPD. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t yet approved the product, though the FDA has accepted Sunovion’s new drug application for SUN-101/eFlow last year as a long-term maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in moderate-to-severe COPD.

If approved, this would be the first nebulized LAMA approved for this indication in the United States.

Regarding Brovana, a type of LABA maintenance therapy that helps muscles around the airways of the lungs relax to prevent COPD exacerbations, Sunovion will show data on the drug’s ability to improve lung function for up to 12 hours at a time. Other presentations will focus on the Utibron Neohaler (indacaterol/glycopyrrolate) inhalation powder – a combination of a LABA medicine (indacaterol) and an anticholinergic medicine (glycopyrrolate). Utibron Neohaler is indicated for the long-term management of COPD symptoms, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.