The following is a summary of “Evolving to a single inhaler extrafine LABA/LAMA/ICS – Inhalation technique and adherence at the heart of COPD patient care (TRIVOLVE),” published in the NOVEMBER 2023 issue of Pulmonology by Brusselle, et al.

For a phase IV multi-center, single-arm, non-interventional study, researchers sought to assess whether there are changes in inhalation technique, treatment adherence, and patient outcomes when patients with COPD transition from dual therapy or multiple inhaler triple therapy to single inhaler extrafine triple therapy (comprising beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP, 87 μg), formoterol fumarate (FF, 5 μg), and glycopyrronium (G, 9 μg)) while receiving inhalation technique training.

A total of 126 COPD patients were included in the per protocol set for the study. The inhalation technique and treatment adherence assessment were conducted at baseline and during two subsequent visits at approximately 3 and 6 months after initiating treatment with extrafine BDP/FF/G. Additionally, lung function, symptom severity, patient satisfaction, and exacerbation rates were monitored exploratory.

Before switching to the single inhaler extrafine BDP/FF/G (at baseline), approximately 28.8% of patients exhibited device errors, with 9.6% making critical errors. After transitioning to BDP/FF/G, the percentage of patients with any device errors decreased to 14.0% at visit 2 and 16.3% at visit 3, with no critical errors reported during the two follow-up visits. Treatment adherence also improved, from 67.5% at baseline to 75.8% at visit 2 and 80% at visit 3. Furthermore, there were improvements in lung function, symptom severity, and patient satisfaction scores, alongside a substantial decrease in exacerbation rates.

In conclusion, the observational study conducted in a real-world clinical setting demonstrated that eligible COPD patients who switched from dual therapy or multiple inhaler triple therapy to single inhaler extrafine BDP/FF/G, along with inhalation technique training, experienced enhancements in inhalation technique and treatment adherence.

Source: resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(23)00256-1/fulltext