BMJ  2006;333:246-248 (29 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7561.246

Practice

ABC of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Future treatments

Peter J Barnes, professor of respiratory medicine

National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Current treatment used in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often poorly effective and fails to halt the relentless decline in lung function that leads to increasing symptoms, disability, and exacerbations. This has stimulated clinicians, scientists, and drug companies to seek more effective ways to control the underlying disease process.


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  		Additive effects of once daily formoterol and tiotropium on forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) in patients with severe COPD after six weeks' treatment

 

Only recently has there been much research into the molecular and cell biology of COPD in order to identify new therapeutic targets. There are several reasons why drug development in COPD is fraught with difficultly, but significant progress is being been made, and several new therapeutic strategies are now in the preclinical and clinical stages of development.


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  		Problems encountered in developing new drugs for treating COPD

 

The mainstay of current drug . . . [Full text of this article]


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