GlaxoSmithKline inhaler trial fails to show prolonged life in patients

A clinical trial by GlaxoSmithKline on large scale has failed to prove that Breo Ellipta inhaler of the company extends life in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. With the failure, hopes of the company regarding the product have shattered.

Glaxo was expecting that Summit study that tested Breo against a placebo in more than 16,000 patients from 43 countries would show that the product extends life and also helps with breathing.

It was the first study that tested the impact on survival of inhaler products such as Breo that open up the airways so as to make breathing easy in patients suffering from asthma or COPD. The company enrolled patients who were at higher risk of cardiovascular disease in order to observe that if Breo is capable of bringing additional survival benefits to them.

Nearly half of the people who were diagnosed with COPD were at increased risk of having cardiovascular disease. According to the company, patients who were using Breo were having 12.2% less risk of dying than the ones on the placebo, but the difference between the effects wasn't enough to be large.

According to Eric Dube, head of Glaxo's global respiratory franchise, the study was significant for the reason that the complete data set would be "beneficial and informative to the respiratory and cardiovascular scientific community".

Despite that, the finding is a blow to the company. A positive outcome could have led to increased sales of Breo as it could have encouraged doctors to prescribe the drug to patients.