ABCs of COPD - Why Choose LAMA/LABA

Core clinical evidence on LABA/LAMA

LABA/LAMA therapy is the guideline-recommended standard of care in the majority of patients with COPD. In this video, Prof. Wisia Wedzicha (London, UK) discussed various LABA/LAMA studies, including the core results of the multiple studies comprising the TOVITO clinical programme.

About the Speaker

Wisia Wedzicha is a professor of Respiratory Medicine and Head Respiratory Division from the National Heart and Lung Institute at the Imperial College London. Not only is she an Honorary Consultant Physician at Royal Brompton Hospital in London, UK, but she has also served as a senior investigator from 2011 to 2019 for the NIHR (National Institute for Health Research, UK).

Estimated time of completion: 15 minutes

The benefits of LAMA/LABA as maintenance treatment

Guidelines in COPD have evolved with the emergence of new data on LABA/LAMA therapy. In this video from the 26th CHEST-PD Annual Convention, Prof. Klaus Rabe (Kiel, Germany) outlined these guidelines changes and the pivotal trials that changed the landscape of COPD maintenance therapy. Disclaimer: GOLD has been updated in 2022 with only minor additions; therefore, the principle mentioned in the lecture remain applicable.

About the Speaker

Klaus Rabe is a Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Kiel and Director of the Department of Pneumology at Clinic Grosshansdorf. He has served on various editorial boards, was the first European Associate Editor of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and was the Immediate Past President of the European Respiratory Society and the Chief Editor of the European Respiratory Journal in the past. Aside from being a Member of the German and Dutch Chest Societies, the British Pharmacological Society, and the American Thoracic Society, he has also served on GINA and GOLD.

Estimated time of completion: 20 minutes

Initiating dual bronchodilators in COPD and its benefits

The latest guidelines on COPD have shifted their emphasis towards the use of LABA/LAMA therapies due to the mounting evidence in favor of this strategy. In this video, Prof. Meilan Han (Michigan, USA) and Prof. John Hurst (London, UK) shared the evolving role of bronchodilators in the initial treatment of COPD and the impact of a dual bronchodilator therapy on the lung function, symptoms and physical functioning of patients with COPD with contributions from Dr. Sarah Jarvis. Disclaimer: GOLD has been updated in 2022 with only minor additions; therefore, the principle mentioned in the lecture remain applicable.

About the Speakers

MeiLan Han, MD MS, is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan. Dr. Han received her medical degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Michigan. Dr. Han has also completed a Master's Degree program in Biostatistics and Clinical Study Design at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Dr. Han is co-chair of the University of Michigan COPD Quality Improvement Committee and co-authored the University of Michigan COPD Guidelines. Dr. Han’s research has focused on defining phenotypes in COPD using imaging. She is a lead investigator for several NIH sponsored COPD studies. She also serves on the scientific advisory committees for both the COPD Foundation and American Lung Association and serves as a spokesperson for the American Lung Association. She is currently an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and serves on the editorial boards for Thorax, Lancet Respiratory Medicine and Journal of the COPD Foundation. She is also a member of the Global Obstructive Lung Disease scientific committee which is charged with developing internationally an internationally recognized consensus statement on COPD diagnosis and management.

John Hurst is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at UCL. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh Medical School in 1997 and was appointed Senior Lecturer then Reader in Respiratory Medicine at UCL, and Honorary Consultant at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in October 2007. He is COPD Lead for the Royal College of Physicians National Asthma and COPD Audit Programme, Chief Editor of the European Respiratory Monograph, and is on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and the European Respiratory Journal. He chairs the Multi-Morbidity Working Group of the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD).

Sarah Jarvis is a General Practitioner (GP), GP trainer and Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). She trained at Cambridge and Oxford universities and became a partner in an inner-city general practice in 1990. She is an active medical writer and broadcaster and is the resident doctor for BBC Radio 2 as well as appearing regularly on Channel 5, Good Morning Britain, LBC and other national and regional news channels. In addition, she is the doctor for Good Housekeeping and My Weekly magazines. She is also the Clinical Director of Patient Platform Limited, which includes the Patient Access app (used by 8 million UK patients to access their GP and get health information) and Patient.info, a medical information site with over 100 million visits a year. Finally, she has had a lifelong interest in women’s health – her books include A Younger Woman’s Diagnose-it-yourself Guide, Women’s Health for Life and Pregnancy for Dummies. She founded the Women’s Taskforce at the RCGP and was the RCGP Women’s Health spokesperson for over 15 years.

Estimated time of completion: 20 minutes

LAMA/LABA in the management of breathlessness in COPD

Breathlessness is a key feature in the majority of patients with COPD. In this video, Prof. James Chalmers (London, UK) and Prof. Arschang Valipour (Vienna, Austria) explained the role of bronchodilators in the management of breathlessness in COPD patients and the benefits of LABA/LAMA combinations in exercise capacity with contributions from Dr. Sarah Jarvis.

About the Speakers

Arschang Valipour is head of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Krankenhaus Nord-Klinik Floridsdorf in Vienna and Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians (FCCP) and the College of Experts of the European Respiratory Society. He is the director of the Karl-Landsteiner-Institute for Lung Research and Pulmonary Oncology and Health Care Manager at the University of Economics Vienna. He is also Associate Editor of “Respiration,” “International Journal of COPD,” and “PUL’MONOLOGIYA” (Russian Respiratory Society), as well as Editorial Board Member of “Journal of Clinical Medicine” (JCM) and “Ukrainian Medical Journal.” Finally, he is a member of the Interasma European Scientific Network (INESnet), a Certified Clinical Researcher (GCP Certificate of the Austrian Medical Chamber), and a reviewer of the Ethics Committee of the Vienna City Council.

James Chalmers is the British Lung Foundation Chair of Respiratory Research at the University of Dundee and honorary consultant physician at Ninewells Hospital. Not only is he the current acting chair of the European Bronchiectasis Registry and Deputy Chief Editor of the European Respiratory Journal, but he is also the current holder of the GSK/British Lung Foundation Chair in Respiratory Research and a prestigious Scottish Senior Fellowship from the Chief Scientists Office. As a GSK/British Lung Foundation Professor of Respiratory Research in the University of Dundee, UK, he has chaired a number of international guidelines including the current European Respiratory Society COVID-19 task force.

Sarah Jarvis is a General Practitioner (GP), GP trainer and Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). She trained at Cambridge and Oxford universities and became a partner in an inner-city general practice in 1990. She is an active medical writer and broadcaster and is the resident doctor for BBC Radio 2 as well as appearing regularly on Channel 5, Good Morning Britain, LBC and other national and regional news channels. In addition, she is the doctor for Good Housekeeping and My Weekly magazines. She is also the Clinical Director of Patient Platform Limited, which includes the Patient Access app (used by 8 million UK patients to access their GP and get health information) and Patient.info, a medical information site with over 100 million visits a year. Finally, she has had a lifelong interest in women’s health – her books include A Younger Woman’s Diagnose-it-yourself Guide, Women’s Health for Life and Pregnancy for Dummies. She founded the Women’s Taskforce at the RCGP and was the RCGP Women’s Health spokesperson for over 15 years.

Estimated time of completion: 20 minutes

LABA/LAMA vs LABA/ICS in COPD

Recent guidelines have limited the use of LABA/ICS therapies for COPD to those with frequent exacerbations. In this video, Prof. Marc Miravitlles (Barcelona Spain) explained the rationale of this recommendation and important findings of the FLAME and NOVELTY studies that support the use of LABA/LAMA therapies in the majority of COPD patients.

About the Speaker

Marc Miravitlles is a Senior Researcher and Consultant Specialist from the Pneumology Department of the Hospital Universitary Vall d’Hebron / Vall d’ Hebron Research Institute (VHRI) which is located in Barcelona, Spain. He is the Director of the National Integrated Research Project for COPD (PII) of Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), as well as the Guidelines Director of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) from September 2015 to September 2018.

He has had numerous publications on his expertise in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and is regarded as an esteemed speaker with numerous speaking engagements in his field of expertise since 1991.

Estimated time of completion: 10 minutes

TOVITO Clinical Program

LABA/LAMA therapy is emerging as the standard of care in certain populations of patients with COPD. In this video, Prof. Marc Miravitlles (Barcelona Spain) outlined the results and multiple data analyses from the TOVITO clinical programme, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 ug in the treatment of COPD.

About the Speaker

Marc Miravitlles is a Senior Researcher and Consultant Specialist from the Pneumology Department of the Hospital Universitary Vall d’Hebron / Vall d’ Hebron Research Institute (VHRI) which is located in Barcelona, Spain. He is the Director of the National Integrated Research Project for COPD (PII) of Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), as well as the Guidelines Director of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) from September 2015 to September 2018.

He has had numerous publications on his expertise in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and is regarded as an esteemed speaker with numerous speaking engagements in his field of expertise since 1991.

Estimated time of completion: 15 minutes

Meta-Analysis among LAMA/LABAs

As LABA/LAMA therapy becomes the cornerstone of COPD therapy, combinations of various LAMAs and LABAs have emerged. In this video, Prof. Paola Rogliani shared the findings of a network meta-analysis that compared the efficacy and safety profile of the various LABA/LAMA combinations in the treatment of COPD.

About the Speaker

Paula Rogliani is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine from the Department of Experimental Medicine at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” as located in Rome, Italy.

Estimated time of completion: 15 minutes