News

Walgreens is the first pharmacy to participate in a new service that connects people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma to pharmacy services. Launched by digital therapeutics company Propeller Health, the My Pharmacy feature aims to offer users a sole platform for managing their treatment regimen.

Data from a three-day Phase 2 clinical trial offered positive results for nebulized ensifentrine (RPL544) as an add-on treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), its developer Verona Pharma announced. Ensifentrine is an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase (PDE) proteins PDE3 and PDE4, which are involved in smooth muscle contraction and immune cell-derived inflammation, respectively.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention can alleviate anxiety in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and reduce long-term hospital costs, a study shows. The results were published in the journal ERJ Open Research, in an article titled “Randomised controlled trial of cognitive behavioural therapy in…

Exosomes — tiny vesicles used for cell communication, released from specific activated immune cells called polymorphonuclear leukocytes — can induce chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when transferred to the lungs of healthy mice, a study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) shows. The study, “Activated PMN exosomes: Pathogenic…

Verona Pharma’s investigational agent RPL554 will be named ensifentrine, the company announced. The “-fentrine” stem in the International Nonproprietary Names (INN) Programme indicates recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO) that RPL554 inhibits multiple phosphodiesterases. Ensifentrine is being developed for the maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)…

The ProAir Digihaler, a digital inhaler that allows patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to track their inhaler usage through a mobile app, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), its developer Teva Pharmaceuticals announced. The albuterol inhaler (albuterol sulfate, 117 micrograms)…

Bevespi Aerosphere (glycopyrronium/formoterol fumarate), a therapy developed by AstraZeneca, has been approved by the European Commission as a maintenance treatment for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Bevespi Aerosphere is a combination of two bronchodilators (glycopyrronium and formoterol fumarate) delivered twice daily in a fixed dose…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Olympus‘ Spiration Valve System (SVS) as a minimally invasive treatment for severe emphysema, a progressive form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The approval is based on positive results from the EMPROVE clinical trial (NCT01812447), which showed meaningful improvements in…

A Phase 2 clinical trial is enrolling participants to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Verona Pharma’s dry powder inhaler RPL554 as a potential maintenance treatment for people with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). RPL554 is a dual inhibitor of the proteins phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and…

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is much more common in obese individuals ages 50 and older who have never smoked, according to a study that also shows that the odds of having COPD increases with the level of obesity. Led by researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada, the…