Effect of indacaterol/glycopyrronium (IND/GLY) vs salmeterol/fluticasone (SFC) on moderate or severe COPD exacerbations and lung function based on baseline blood eosinophil counts: Results from the FLAME study

Abstract

Introduction The FLAME study compared the effect of IND/GLY vs SFC on exacerbations in COPD patients with a risk of exacerbation. Here we present the rate of reduction of moderate or severe exacerbations and lung function changes based on blood eosinophils in moderate-to-very severe COPD patients. Methods This was a 52-week, multicentre study. Patients with moderate-to-very severe COPD, post-bronchodilator FEV1 ≥25% - 300 and ≥300) and percentages ( Results 3362 patients were randomised to IND/GLY (n=1680) or SFC (n=1682). The annualised rate of moderate or severe exacerbations was significantly lower in IND/GLY-treated vs SFC-treated patients9 at all eosinophil counts, although not significant for small number of patients with ≥300 cells/µL. The lung function was significantly improved at all the visits with IND/GLY vs SFC irrespective of eosinophil count (Table 1). Conclusion In patients with high risk of exacerbations, IND/GLY was superior in reducing moderate or severe exacerbations and showed significant improvement in lung function vs SFC independent of blood eosinophil counts.