A Biologic Drug Superior to Spiriva in Reducing COPD-Related Exacerbations Would Earn a Higher Patient Share in Europe Than i...( Spiriva Will Remain the Gold Standard...),Health

Spiriva Will Remain the Gold Standard Treatment Through 2017, According to a New Report from Decision Resources.

WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that a biologic drug that is superior to Boehringer Ingelheim/Pfizer's Spiriva in reducing yearly COPD-related exacerbations would earn a higher patient share in Europe (30 percent) than in the U.S. (15 percent) according to surveyed European and U.S. pulmonologists. COPD-related exacerbations are episodic events often requiring hospitalization.

"A biological drug that provides fewer yearly COPD-related exacerbations compared to current therapies holds much commercial promise," said Regina Jammen, M.S., analyst at Decision Resources. "Enthusiasm from U.S. and European pulmonologists for a biologic drug with the potential to dramatically reduce yearly exacerbation rates likely reflects physicians' recognition of not only the long-term therapeutic benefits of such a drug, but also its economic benefits."

The new report entitled Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Blockbuster Potential Exists for Biologic Drugs That Dramatically Reduce Exacerbation Rates finds that Spiriva will remain Decision Resources' clinical gold standard treatment for COPD over the next eight years even though emerging drugs such as Forest/Almirall's aclidinium, Novartis's indacaterol, Boehringer Ingelheim's BI-1744/tiotropium and Nycomed/Mitsubishi Tanabe's roflumilast will offer therapeutic benefits to COPD patients.

About the Report

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Blockbuster Potential Exists for Biologic Drugs That Dramatically Reduce Exacerbation Rates is a DecisionBase 2009 report. DecisionBase 2009 is a decision-support tool that provides in-depth analysis of unmet need,
'/>"/>