Safety, tolerability and risk benefit analysis of tiotropium in COPD

COPD is a chronic disease and, like many other chronic diseases, there is no treatment to reverse the severity of the disease except for lung transplant. To date, no inhaled medications have been shown to improve survival. Tiotropium bromide is a long-acting inhaled anticholinergic drug for the treatment of COPD that can improve lung function, reduce symptoms and exacerbations, and improve quality of life with once-daily dosing. It was initially approved and marketed in several countries in Europe in 2002 and then approved in the US in 2004. Tiotropium is generally well tolerated with dry mouth being the main adverse effect. Other adverse effects include constipation, tachycardia, blurred vision, urinary retention and increased intraocular pressure. Despite the recently raised concerns about an excess risk of cardiovascular adverse events with inhaled anticholinergic agents, the risk/benefit ratio of tiotropium appears still favorable given the favorable safety profile demonstrated in the UPLIFT study. However, caution should be advised in patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease given the paucity of data in such patients.