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© 2006, American Thoracic Society. All rights reserved. We compared the effectiveness of inhaled formoterol with that of ipratropium in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). After a 2-wk run-in period, 780 patients with COPD were randomized to receive for 12 wk formoterol dry powder 12 or 24 μg twice daily, ipratropium bromide 40 μg four times daily, or placebo in a multicenter, double-blind, parallel-group study. The primary efficacy variable was the area under the curve for forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) measured over 12 h after 12 wk of treatment. Secondary variables included diary symptoms and quality of life. Both doses of formoterol and ipratropium significantly increased the area under the curve for FEV 1 in comparison with placebo (all p < 0.001). Both doses of formoterol were also significantly superior to ipratropium (all p < 0.025). Compared with placebo, both doses of formoterol significantly improved symptoms (all p ≤ 0.007) and quality of life (p < 0.01 for total scores) whereas ipratropium did not show significant effects (all p ≥ 0.3). All study treatments exhibited a similar safety profile. We conclude that formoterol is more effective than ipratropium bromide in the treatment of COPD, as the efficacy of ipratropium on airflow obstruction does not translate into a clinical benefit that patients can perceive.

Type

Journal article

Journal

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Publication Date

01/01/2006

Volume

48

Pages

778 - 784