FDA Okays Stiolto for COPD

The FDA has approved once-daily tiotropium bromide and olodaterol (Stiolto Respimat) inhalation spray for maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the drug's maker announced Tuesday.

More than 15 million Americans have been told that they have COPD, but as many as 45% of the total estimated COPD cases in the U.S. remain undiagnosed, the manufacturer, Ridgefield, Conn.-based Boehringer Ingelheim, noted in an email. Patients are typically diagnosed when lung function is already significantly impaired.

"While no treatment slows the rate of decline, maintenance treatment with Stiolto Respimat initiated at the time of diagnosis will improve lung function," Danny McBryan, MD, vice president for clinical development and medical affairs in the company's respiratory division, said in the email. The drug does not replace a rescue inhaler.