Introduction Research data on COPD increasingly point to systemic inflammation as the cause of many of the severe comorbidities associated with the disease. However, agents under study for COPD continue to focus only on the local inflammation caused by the disease. Significant opportunity exists for agents that can reduce the inflammation both in the lungs and throughout the system. Given that inhaler drugs will not be displaced as the primary treatment for the disease, is there a drug on the market for another indication that will address the systemic comorbidities associated with COPD? Should any existing therapies be able to show clear clinical benefit on systemic inflammation, such an agent would gain a useful competitive edge in the COPD market.
Get the Answers You Need to Shape Your Strategy COPD is a progressive inflammatory disease affecting the respiratory tract and the lungs. What comorbidities are associated with COPD? What roles do local and systemic inflammation play in this disease? What is the status of research on the connection between systemic inflammation and pulmonary function? - Researchers are beginning to investigate the potential of systemic agents in the treatment of COPD. What are some of the most promising drug classes being studied? Will these agents have an effect on the localized symptoms and the severe comorbidities? - See the appendix in this report for a discussion on the current treatments for localized COPD. What are the most effective treatments? What new therapies need to be considered?
Scope - The role of inflammation in the comorbidities in COPD: therapies are needed to address the multiple facets of the disease; established agent for another indication may be aimed at COPD. - Risk factors: cigarette smoking; particulate dust; impaired lung development; age; nutritional and socioeconomic factors. - Comorbidities: chronic cardiovascular diseases; osteoporosis; type 2 diabetes; cachexia. - Treatments most likely to address systemic infl ammation: TNF-a inhibitors; PPAR-gamma agonists; statins; PDE-5 inhibitors.
