Breezhaler better than Seretide, says Vectura

Inhaled airways disease focused pharmaceuticals company Vectura Group confirmed an announcement from its alliance partner Novartis on Monday, that new analyses from the head-to-head FLAME study confirmed that Ultibro Breezhaler is a “more effective option” for patients at risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease flare-ups than Seretide.

The FTSE 250 firm said the finding was true across different patient sub-groups.

In the new analyses, once-daily Ultibro Breezhaler 110/50 mcg demonstrated consistent reductions in the rate of all exacerbations, regardless of age, smoking status, exacerbation history, disease severity, eosinophil levels and previous inhaled corticosteroid use, versus twice-daily Seretide 50/500 mcg.

“Specifically, among patients with the severest forms of COPD, Ultibro Breezhaler significantly reduced the rate of exacerbations and improved their health status versus the commonly used ICS/LABA combination,” Vectura’s board said in the statement.

“In addition, patients using Ultibro Breezhaler needed less rescue medication during the day.”

It added that new analyses presented at ERS 2016 also showed that, compared to Seretide, Ultibro Breezhaler was associated with fewer systemic effects, namely impairment of adrenal function, which regulates the natural production of hormones.

“Ultibro Breezhaler use has previously shown to be associated with significantly fewer cases of pneumonia than the ICS/LABA combination.”

Vectura said Novartis is presenting over 35 abstracts from across its broad respiratory portfolio at ERS 2016.

“These new findings further demonstrate the superior efficacy of Ultibro Breezhaler versus Seretide across a range of patient sub-groups and support its use as a steroid-free treatment option for COPD patients at risk of exacerbations,” explained Vectura CEO James Ward-Lilley.

“This, combined with the existing efficacy and safety profile of Ultibro Breezhaler, further confirms our confidence in its outlook.”