Medtech Business has reported that the FDA’s approval of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Combivent Respimat, a propellant-free inhaler for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The product has been developed to replace the Combivent MDI, which contains chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), in response to the Montreal Protocol treaty to phase out the use of inhalers releasing CFCs or hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellants into the atmosphere.
The product uses a slow-moving mist to deliver ipratropium bromide and albuterol sulfate, requiring only one inhalation per dose compared to Combivent MDI, which requires two inhalations per dose.
Both inhalers are the only short-acting bronchodilator products that offer two different medicines in a single inhaler. Clinical research in COPD patients has shown that the combination of ipratropium bromide and albuterol sulfate provides patients significantly greater improvement in lung function than either component alone.
Source: Medtech Business
published: October 10, 2011 in: Approval/Clearance, Regulatory, Thoracic/Respiratory, USA