Spiriva Respimat vs Handihaler COPD study in NEJM

Results from the TIOSPIR trial of more than 17,000 COPD patients has confirmed the comparable mortality and exacerbation efficacy profile of Spiriva Respimat 5 mcg and Spiriva HandiHaler 18 mcg, from Boehringer. The results showed no difference between the two treatments in risk of death, risk of first exacerbation, on-treatment all-cause mortality and incidents of cardiovascular adverse events. The median time to the first COPD exacerbation was more than two years for both Spiriva Respimat 5mcg (756 days) and Spiriva HandiHaler 18 mcg (719 days). Spiriva HandiHaler demonstrated a 28% reduction in the relative risk of a COPD exacerbation leading to hospitalisation compared with salmeterol, versus 27% for Spiriva Respimat.

Data has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. See: "Tiotropium Respimat Inhaler and the Risk of Death in COPD: The TIOSPIR Trial." Wise RA, Cotton D, Dahl R et al. NEJM 2013; 369 (10).