Glenmark launches 3-in-1 inhaler for COPD patients in India

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Monday said it has launched a triple therapy inhaler in the country for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The company's product -- a single inhaler triple therapy product AIRZ-FF -- is a combination of two bronchodilators, glycopyrronium and formoterol and the inhalation corticosteroid fluticasone propionate, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said in a regulatory filing.

The new triple therapy innovation makes breathing easier, reduces risk of severe attacks, and eliminates dependence on multiple inhalers, it added.

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," Glenmark Pharmaceuticals India Formulations, Middle East and Africa President Sujesh Vasudevan said.

By introducing AIRZ-FF, the company hopes to reduce this burden for patients by delivering three effective therapies together in the same inhaler, he added.

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 per cent 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.

Shares of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals were trading at Rs 336.60 apiece on BSE, up 0.87 per cent from their previous close.