In an effort to help patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (better known as COPD) breathe easier, the FDA has approved the use of Striverdi Respimat (olodaterol) inhalation spray to relax the muscles around the airways in the lungs stay and prevent symptoms. including wheezing, cough, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States. While cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD, exacerbations of the disease are often brought on by start from a lung infection caused by a virus or bacteria, such as a cold or some other illness. Exposure to pollutants in the air can also COPD symptoms to worsen suddenly.
The safety and effectiveness of Striverdi Respimat was evaluated in a trail involving 3,104 people diagnosed with COPD. People who received Striverdi Respimat showed improved lung function compared to those who received a placebo.
“The availability of this new long-term maintenance medication provides an additional treatment options for the millions of Americans who suffer with COPD,” stated Dr. Curtis Rosebraugh, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Office of Drug Evaluation II in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Striverdi Respimat can be used once daily over a long period of time,” he added.
The drug, however, is not meant to be used as a rescue therapy to treat sudden breathing problems (acute bronchospasm), nor should it be used by patients with acutely deteriorating COPD as it may “cause serious side effects, including narrowing and obstruction of the respiratory airway (paradoxical bronchitis, cough, urinary tract infection, dizziness, rash, diarrhea, back pain and arthralgia (joint pain). It also and comes with a boxed warning stating that long-acting beta-adrenergic agonist (LABAs) such as Striverdi Respimat increase the risk of asthma-related death