High-dose Enerzair Breezhaler further cuts asthma exacerbations

A high dose of Novartis' Enerzair Breezhaler (indacaterol acetate, glycopyrronium bromide and mometasone furoate/IND/GLY/MF) significantly reduced asthma exacerbations compared to a medium dose, shows a new analysis.

The findings, presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress 2020, show better moderate-or-severe and severe exacerbation rates in patients whose asthma is uncontrolled on medium- or high-dose long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA)/inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), when compared with a once-daily medium-dose.

High-dose Enerzair Breezhaler (150/50/160μg) cut the annualised rate of moderate-or-severe asthma exacerbations by 21% and severe exacerbations by 31% compared with medium-dose (150/50/80μg) over 52 weeks.

The higher dose also reduced the annualised rate of all exacerbations (mild, moderate and severe) by 14%, but this finding was not statistically significant, the firm noted.

“This post hoc analysis supports the potential of high-dose IND/GLY/MF as an effective step-up treatment option to further reduce asthma exacerbations in patients with uncontrolled asthma,” said Kenneth Chapman, Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto.

“These findings also complement the efficacy and safety data from the pivotal IRIDIUM study, which indicated the potential of high-dose IND/GLY/MF to improve lung function and reduce exacerbations compared with salmeterol xinafoate/fluticasone propionate, a LABA/ICS standard-of-care.”