Study Shows Increased Risks of Heart Disease, Stroke from COPD Drug Use
By Aaron Poehler
Published on September 23, 2008
A paper published this week reports that drugs commonly prescribed for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were associated with increased risks of heart disease, heart attacks, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems.
The new study, which combines data from available studies on inhaled anticholinergic drugs used for the treatment of COPD, appears in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association and found a combined 58 percent higher risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, or stroke in participants receiving inhaled anticholinergics for a period of 30 days or more. Broken down by category, the risk of heart attack was 53 percent higher, cardiovascular death was 80 percent higher, and stroke was 46 percent higher.
Inhaled anticholinergic drugs, such as Spiriva, co-marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer Inc., and Boehringer Ingelheim's Atrovent, are the most commonly prescribed once-daily treatment for COPD. Spiriva is the most widely prescribed COPD drug with more than $2 billion in sales last year to more than 8 million patients worldwide.
COPD is a progressive lung condition usually connected to smoking in which lung passages become increasingly constricted, causing breathing difficulties. COPD is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the sixth leading cause worldwide.
In a statement, Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer said that they disagree with the findings of the study.
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