AstraZeneca Canada has announced that DUAKLIR^™ GENUAIR^®, a treatment system currently available in other countries to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema, is now available in Canada and through the Canadian public health system. The Oct. 29, 2015, announcement is a follow-up to the Notice of Compliance published in April by Health Canada that was based on clinical trial efficacy and safety results showing DUAKLIR GENUAIR demonstrated statistical and sustained improvement in breathlessness.

COPD is a lung disease characterized by obstruction of airflow that results in difficulties in breathing. In Canada, over 750,000 individuals ages 35 to 79 suffer from COPD. Risk factors like tobacco smoking, air pollution, or occupational exposure are known to contribute in the development or aggravation of COPD.

COPD is a progressive disease that has no known cure, but several medications are available to relieve symptoms and help prevent progression. However, symptoms like breathlessness and coughing persist with 90% of COPD patients reporting their symptoms being triggered at least once a day and 50% experienced recurrent symptoms hourly, a press release from the company says. These problems might be attributed either to the moderate efficacy of a current drug treatment or an inefficient drug delivery system.

DUAKLIR is an approved fixed-dose LAMA/LABA combination of two long-acting bronchodilators —  aclidinium bromide, a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), and formoterol fumarate, a long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) — administered through the GENUAIR device, which research results have found patients preferred when compared to other devices. The inhaler is composed of a pre-loaded, multi-dose dry powder inhaler (DPI) that results in efficient delivery of the drug throughout the lungs. Furthermore, because the GENUAIR device contains two verification modes (‘click’ sound and color indicator change), patients with COPD are reassured that they received the correct administration of the daily doses.

In summary, DUAKLIR GENUAIR treatment system helps in reducing frequency of daily COPD respiratory symptoms. This, in turn, eases patients’ anxiety as well as possible stress of dosage/symptom related issues.

“Despite the treatment options available to patients living with COPD, there is still a significant unmet need when it comes to daily symptom control,” says Dr. Ronald Grossman, respirologist, Credit Valley Hospital and professor of medicine at University of Toronto. “DUAKLIR GENUAIR provides patients with a safe, effective way to improve breathlessness over 24 hours. This improves lung function and gives them the confidence that their dosage is working consistently throughout the entire day.”