Efficacy, tolerability, and effects on quality of life of inhaled salmeterol and oral theophylline in patients with mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The aims of management in mild-to-moderate stable chronic obstructive pulmo nary disease (COPD) are to improve symptoms and quality of life (QOL), redu ce decline in lung function, prevent and treat complications, increase surv ival while maintaining QOL, and minimize the adverse effects of treatment. Bronchodilator therapy is the keystone of improving COPD symptoms and funct ional capacity. The primary objective of this open-label study was to compa re the efficacy and tolerability of salmeterol 50 mu g BID administered by metered-dose inhaler versus oral, titrated, sustained-release theophylline BID, both given for 3 months to patients with a clinical history of chronic bronchitis. The secondary objectives of the study were to evaluate the saf ety profile of the two drugs for an additional 9-month period and to assess changes in QOL both within and between treatment groups, using the 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) Health Survey. One hundred seventy-eight outpatients (1 22 men, 56 women; mean age, 56 +/- 12.9 years; mean body weight, 76.1 +/- 1 1.8 kg) were randomized to the two treatment groups. Patients receiving sal meterol showed significant improvement in mean morning peak expiratory now rate (16.56 L/min) over the 3-month period compared with patients receiving theophylline (P = 0.02). Salmeterol also significantly increased the perce ntage of symptom-free days and nights with no additional salbutamol require ment (P < 0.01). A significant difference was found between increases in fo rced expiratory volume in 1 second compared with baseline for salmeterol co mpared with theophylline throughout the initial 3-month period (0.13, 0.16, and 0.16 L at months 1, 2, and 3, respectively) and during the additional 9 months. The incidence of adverse events was similar in the two groups (sa lmeterol, 49.5%; theophylline, 49.4%), with a lower percentage of pharmacol ogically predictable adverse events in patients receiving salmeterol (4%) c ompared with those receiving theophylline (14.8%). Both drugs improved QOL, as measured by effects on the eight aspects of life experience analyzed by the SF-36 questionnaire. Salmeterol therapy was effective in more aspects, and the improvements seen in each were numerically greater than those seen with theophylline therapy. Statistically different changes between the two treatment groups were reported for physical functioning, changes in health perception, and social functioning (P = 0.02, P = 0.03, and P = 0.004, res pectively). These data suggest that inhaled salmeterol 50 mu g BID was more effective and better tolerated than oral, titrated theophylline and allowe d better long-term control of airways obstruction and symptoms with improve d lung function in patients with COPD.