Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Glenmark), a research-led global integrated pharmaceutical company, recently announced the launch of a Single Inhaler Triple Therapy AIRZ-FF - a combination of two bronchodilators, Glycopyrronium & Formoterol and the inhalation corticosteroid Fluticasone propionate, for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

This new triple therapy innovation comes with multiple benefits: it offers significant bronchodilation (making breathing easier), reduces risk of severe attacks, and eliminates dependence on multiple inhalers.1 The reduction in risk of severe attacks decreases the requirement for hospitalization, a benefit of high significance in current prevailing situation.1

AIRZ-FF has been exclusively studied in the Indian population1 and introduced to address challenges faced by a significant portion of COPD patients in the country. COPD is a very common, serious and debilitating lung disease which like hypertension or diabetes, requires personalized treatment over the rest of the patient's life.

India is currently home to more than 55.3 million people living with COPD of varying degrees of severity. The disease prevalence has grown significantly by 24% in the last decade alone. Health experts attribute this rise to low levels of awareness and low rates of diagnosis of the disease. Together these factors have made COPD the second leading cause of death by disease in India.1,2,3

"COPD poses a significant public health challenge in India for many reasons. When it comes to treatment, there is poor patient compliance and adherence to prescribed doses, owing to the need for multiple inhalers through the day. By introducing AIRZ-FF, we hope to reduce this burden for patients, by delivering three effective therapies together in the same inhaler," said Sujesh Vasudevan, President, India Formulations, Middle East and Africa at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. He added, "Glenmark continues to invent and innovate healthcare solutions that meet specific and often hard-to-address needs of patients in India and the world."

Of the global COPD burden, about 35% is attributed to tobacco smoking. The remaining 65% is seen in non-smokers, mostly living in low and middle income countries. In India, a substantial number of COPD cases occur in people who have never smoked. They have been ascribed to ambient air pollution, occupational exposure to dust and gases, poor living conditions, repeated respiratory tract infections and exposure to indoor biomass smoke5.

According to global organizations on respiratory medicine, patients most likely to benefit from triple therapy include those with history of multiple or severe attacks, despite appropriate use of singular or dual bronchodilators alone.