GlaxoSmithKline plc (LON:GSK) has announced that a European Medicines Agency (EMA) panel has recommended a three-in-one inhaled drug developed with US firm Innoviva, Inc.(NASDAQ: INVA) as a treatment for severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The once-a-day triple inhaler combines the drugs fluticasone furoate, umeclidinium and vilanterol and will have a proposed brand name of Trelegy Ellipta.
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The treatment will be used for patients who are not adequately treated by a combination of an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting beta2-agonist.
Patrick Vallance, Glaxo's president of R&D, said, "We believe once-daily single inhaler triple therapy, if approved, would provide an important option for appropriate patients with COPD who are receiving ICS/LABA and require additional bronchodilation, avoiding the need for multiple inhalers."
In a statement, Glaxo said the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) had given a “positive opinion for the treatment”.
A CHMP positive opinion is one of the final steps before marketing authorisation from the European Commission. A final decision is expected around the end of 2017, the company said.