Indacaterol/glycopyrronium (IND/GLY) reduces exacerbations compared with salmeterol/fluticasone (SFC) in various sub-groups from the FLAME study

Introduction LABA/ICS combination and/or LAMA have been the first choice of treatment for COPD patients with high risk of exacerbation. FLAME is the first study which compared rate and risk of exacerbations with IND/GLY to SFC in patients with at least one exacerbation in the previous year. Methods Patients with post-bronchodilator FEV 1 ≥25%- Results In total, 3362 patients were randomised. The rate of all exacerbations was lower with IND/GLY compared with SFC (Figure 1A) in subgroups defined by age, smoking status, exacerbation history, and disease severity. IND/GLY also reduced rate of moderate or severe exacerbations in all subgroups except for