Deciding when triple therapy will be beneficial for COPD

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Practice + Pharmacotherapy

Deciding when triple therapy will be beneficial for COPD

Linda Bryant

Hot air ballons
Breathing in more air – triple therapy can help improve lung function, manage symptoms and prevent exacerbations in select patients with COPD [Image: Aaron Burden on Unsplash]

We are on our summer break and the editorial office is closed until 13 January. In the meantime, please enjoy our Summer Hiatus series, in which our journalists curate an eclectic mix from our news and clinical archives throughout the year, The Conversation and other publications we share content with. Please note the comment function has been turned off while we are away. Happy reading!

This article was first published online on 11 September 2024.

Pharmacist prescriber Linda Bryant delves into the details of prescribing inhaled corticosteroids for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Key points, For mild COPD, monotherapy with a bronchodilator is usually adequate; start a regular LAMA early; if symptoms increase, add a LABA. An eosinophil co, Pract Green w Pale Yellow
References

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2. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. 2024. https://goldcopd.org/2024-gold-report/

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7. Calverley PM, Anderson JA, Celli B, et al. Salmeterol and fluticasone propionate and survival in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. N Engl J Med 2007;356(8):775–89.

8. Cates C. Inhaled corticosteroids in COPD: quantifying risks and benefits. Thorax 2013;68(6):499–500.

9. Mathioudakis AG, Bate S, Sivapalan P, et al Rethinking blood eosinophils for assessing ICS response in COPD: A post hoc analysis from FLAME. Chest 2024; 9 July online.