GSK claims Seretide superior to Spiriva
pharmafile | January 3, 2008 | News story | Sales and Marketing |Â Â Â
A new head-to-head study sponsored by GSK suggests its drug Seretide reduced the risk of dying compared to rival treatment Spiriva.
The INSPIRE (Investigating New Standards for Prophylaxis In Reduction of Exacerbations) study is the first head-to-head study to report a difference in the risk of all-cause mortality between the two established treatments for COPD.
GSKs combination product Seretide is the worldwide market leader in asthma and COPD, but faces strong competition from Spiriva, which is co-marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer.
Sales of Seretide were $6.3 billion in 2006, up more than 10%, while sales of Spiriva rose faster ( up 45% ) to $1.7 billion.
In the study, Seretide (salmeterol/fluticasone) produced a statistically significant reduction in all-cause mortality compared to Spiriva (tiotropium) in over 1,300 patients with severe COPD conducted over two years.
GSKs drug failed to show superiority in the primary endpoint of the trial, however, which was the rate of exacerbations requiring use of healthcare resources.
But the company says fewer deaths in patients taking Seretide suggests its drug is superior to its rival. Its claim is limited by a number of factors, including the fact that all-cause mortality statistics means it remains unclear whether patients died because of COPD or other conditions.
The study also found that more patients in the Spiriva arm needed oral steroids to treat their exacerbations while patients on Seretide required more antibiotics, a finding which researchers say raises new questions about the nature of exacerbations in COPD.






