[Clinical benefits of tiotropium, a new anticholinergic bronchodilator]

Bronchodilators are, at the present time, the mainstay of symptomatic therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Anticholinergics are the first steep in the clinical management of these patients although its short half life constitutes a serious limitation in patients with persistent symptoms. However, there have been some important developments on this area. Tiotropium bromide, used once daily shows several clinical advantages when it is compared with ipratropium bromide or with long acting beta-2 agonists. This suggests than tiotropium bromide could be in coming years one of the first options for the treatment of COPD.