GSK has won European approval for a three-in-one inhaler for a severe breathing condition, paving the way for the product’s UK launch early next year. GSK’s once-daily triple inhaler combines the drugs fluticasone furoate, umeclidinium and vilanterol. The idea is to use three different mechanisms to help open airways of patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
GSK hopes the drug will bolster its respiratory arm, which has suffered from sliding sales of its top-selling inhaler product Advair. The green light for the medicine, named Trelegy Ellipta, follows US approval for the drug in September.
It is designed to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which causes symptoms including coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. GSK estimates around a quarter of COPD patients already use the three drugs individually, suggesting strong potential demand for an easier to use treatment.
The GSK product is the first once-daily, three-in-one treatment for the condition. The company hopes the launch will help it keep ahead of its close rivals in the respiratory market AstraZeneca and Novartis.