SMART approach to COPD

This is a clinical study in which two treatment strategies for COPD were investigated, namely Spiromax budesonide/formoterol 160/4.5 µg 2 times a day with up to 8 additional inhalations if necessary, the so-called SMART treatment. This treatment was compared to a higher fixed dosage of an inhalation corticosteroid in combination with a long-acting airway remover, namely Fluticase/ Diskus 250/50 µg twice daily. In asthma it has already been shown that the SMART treatment leads to better control against a lower total dosage of inhalation corticosteroid (ICS) and long-acting beta agonist (LABA).

The hypothesis of the study was that this is also the case in COPD, but so far this has not been demonstrated in a comparative study. In this study, blood and sputum collection and nasal epithelial brushes were performed both in stable phase and during exacerbation, to investigate genetic mechanism and different phenotypes of COPD exacerbations.

Picture from Vecteezy.com.