Spiriva closes the gap in patient share with Advair for COPD treatment in USA

Since a 2008 retrospective analysis of patient-level claims data, Boehringer Ingelheim/Pfizer's Spiriva (tiotropium bromide), has closed the gap in patient share between itself and GlaxoSmithKline's Advair (fluticasone and salmeterol) in newly-diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, according to a report from research and advisory firm Decision Resources.

Although Advair's patient share in the first line is still greater than Spiriva's, the latter has surpassed Advair in the second line and will continue to overcome and widen the gap between itself and Advair over the next two years.

"Surveyed US primary care physicians (PCPs) expect to use more of Spiriva over the next two years while their enthusiasm around Advair is waning compared to last year's analysis," stated Decision Resources analyst Amanda Puffer. "Almost 60% of PCPs say they will increase their use of Spiriva over the next two years and only 8% think their use of the drug will decline. This is important to note because last year's analysis indicated that a lot of Advair's use was driven by PCPs," she added.