IN BRIEF: GSK drug approved in China to treat uncontrolled asthma

GSK PLC - London-based pharmaceuticals company - Says China's National Medical Products Administration has approved Trelegy Ellipta (fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol, or FF/UMEC/VI) in a new indication, for adults with uncontrolled asthma. This adds to the therapy's current licence for use in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and makes it the first and only single inhaler triple therapy approved for the maintenance treatment of both respiratory conditions in China. GSK says approval was based on its Captain study, "which showed that in patients uncontrolled on inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting beta agonist (ICS/LABA), the additional bronchodilation provided by FF/UMEC/VI demonstrated significant improvements in lung function compared with FF/VI." Says asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic respiratory diseases in China, with around 46 million adults affected and approximately half of patients experiencing uncontrolled symptoms.

Kaivan Khavandi, senior vice president & global head of Respiratory, Immunology and Inflammation, R&D, comments: "Early intervention with a single inhaler triple therapy can improve clinical outcomes for suitable patients with uncontrolled asthma. Today's approval gives patients whose condition is not optimally managed, and therefore at increased risk of experiencing exacerbations, an important option in their care. As a company, we are committed to help change the course of disease and make clinical remission, where patients' disease has sustained control, an ambitious but attainable treatment goal."

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By Emma Curzon, Alliance News reporter

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