Boehringer Ingelheim marks tenth anniversary of Spiriva

Boehringer Ingelheim is marking the tenth anniversary of Spiriva, its once-daily long-acting inhaled anticholinergic maintenance treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The drug was the first treatment of its kind when it was introduced a decade ago and has since become the most prescribed COPD maintenance treatment worldwide, with over 25 million patient years of experience to date.

More than 175 clinical trials of the drug have been carried out over the years, proving its efficacy in reducing breathlessness and the risk of exacerbations among patients, as well as the quality of life improvements it provides.

For example, new data from the long-term Gold trial announced at the recent European Respiratory Society congress demonstrated a reduced risk of exacerbations with Spiriva among low-risk COPD patients.

Dr Marc Miravitlles, senior researcher at the department of pneumology at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, said: "COPD remains a debilitating, progressive and under-recognised lung disease and it is important that the most widely-prescribed COPD treatment is central to future prospects for advancing treatment."

This comes after the firm announced last week that its blood-thinning drug Pradaxa has passed one million patient years of combined treatment experience.