Skip to main content

Table 2 Effect of bronchodilators on the risk of COPD exacerbation

From: Pharmacological strategies to reduce exacerbation risk in COPD: a narrative review

Treatment

Annual exacerbation rate

Comparator

Annual exacerbation rate

Reduction in exacerbations

Exacerbation endpoint

Patient population

Exacerbation entry criteria (No./year)

FEV1 % predicted

LAMA

 Glycopyrronium [69]

0.54

Placebo

0.80

34 %

Secondary (moderate or severe)

NA

≥30– < 80 % (post-BD)

 Glycopyrronium [68]

0.43

Placebo

0.59

NS

Secondary (moderate or severe)

NA

≥30– < 80 % (post-BD)

 Tiotropium [63]

0.61

Indacaterol

0.79

29 %

Secondary (all)

≥1

≥30– < 50 % (post-BD)

 Tiotropium [60]

0.64

Salmeterol

0.72

11 %

Primary (moderate or severe)

≥1

<70 % (post-BD)

 Tiotropium [123]

0.69

Placebo

0.87

21 %

Secondary (any)

NS

≤60 % (pre-BD)

 Tiotropium [15]

0.73

Placebo

0.85

14 %

Secondary (moderate)

NA

<70 % (post-BD)

 Tiotropium [124]

1.17

Placebo

2.46

52 %

Secondary (any)

NA

<80 %

 Tiotropium [125]

1.57

Placebo

2.41

35 %

Secondary (any)

≥1

30–65 % (pre-BD)

 Tiotropium [126]

0.85

Placebo

1.05

20 %

Secondary (any)

NA

≤60 %

 Tiotropium [127]

1.07

Placebo

Salmeterol

1.49

1.23

28 %

NS

Secondary (any)

NA

≤65 %

 Tiotropium [128]

0.73

Placebo

0.96

24 %

Secondary (any)

NA

≤65 %

 Tiotropium [129]

0.76

Placebo

0.95

20 %

Secondary (any)

NA

≤65 %

LABA

 Salmeterol [13]

0.97

Placebo

1.13

15 %

Secondary (moderate or severe)

NA

<60 % (pre-BD)

 Salmeterol [65]

1.04

Placebo

1.30

20 %

Secondary (any)

≥1

25–70 % (pre-BD)

LAMA/LABA

 Acl/Form [72]

0.42

Placebo

0.29

29 % (pooled data)

Moderate or severe

NA

≥30– < 80 % (post-BD)

 IND/GLY [62]

0.84

Glycopyrronium

0.95

12 %

Primary (moderate or severe)

≥1

<50 % (post-BD)

 Tiotropium + salmeterol [64]

1.75

Tiotropium

1.61

NS

Secondary (any)

≥1

<65 % (post-BD)

 UMEC/VIL [130]

NR

Tiotropium

NR

NS

Secondary endpoint

NA

≤70 % (post-BD)

  1. Studies identified using PubMed search of key terms and limited to clinical trials published in English language and including at least 100 patients. Results were manually filtered for relevance and additional studies added at the author’s discretion. Reductions in exacerbations vs comparator were statistically significant unless otherwise stated (See Additional file 1 for detailed description of term used in searchs)
  2. Acl aclidinium, BD bronchodilator, Form formoterol, GLY glycopyrronium, IND indacaterol, LABA long-acting β2-agonist, LAMA long-acting muscarinic antagonist, NA not applicable, NR not reported, NS not significant, P placebo, S salmeterol, UMEC umeclidinium, VIL vilanterol