10 COPD Medicines In the Pipeline

Twenty years ago there were only a few COPD medicines. Today there are many COPD medicines. Even better is that there are currently 36 COPD medicines in the pipeline. So this offers hope for all those living with COPD. Listed here are 10 of these potential COPD medicines followed by my thoughts.

1. Abediterol. It’s made by AstraZeneca in Deleware. It’s another Long-Acting Beta Agonist (LABA). It would be an inhaler. It might also be a component of another COPD combination inhaler. It’s currently in phase II of development. For the record, there are 4 phases of drug development. The first is discovery and development. The fourth is the FDA review.^1-2
2. Acumapimod. It’s made by Mereo BioPharma out of London. It’s a Kinase Inhibitor. This will be a key discovery if it works out. Like asthma, most people with COPD have some degree of airway inflammation. Sometimes this inflammation responds well to corticosteroids. But, sometimes it’s very stubborn and non-responsive to steroids. This medicine would be for those who are having severe exacerbations but are not responding well to steroids. It’s currently in phase II of development.^2,3-5
3. APC-1000. It’s made by Adamis Pharmaceuticals in San Diego. It’s another version of beclomethasone. My guess is it would be a generic Qvar. Those medicines with only numbers do not have an official name yet. It’s currently in phase III of development.¹
4. APC-4000.  It’s made by Adamis Pharmaceuticals in San Diego. It’s a dry powder version of fluticasone. I would imagine it’s probably a generic Flovent.¹
5. AZD8871. It’s made by AstraZeneca. It’s a muscarinic antagonist like Atrovent or Spiriva. So, it could be a stronger and longer-lasting muscarinic antagonist. But, it could also be a generic version of one of the ones presently on the market, like Spiriva.¹
6. AZD7594. This is made by AstraZeneca. It’s an inhaled non-steroid anti-inflammatory. It’s currently in phase II of development. This would be great for those who respond poorly to inhaled corticosteroids if it pans out. Or, even better, it might eliminate the need for corticosteroids.^1,6
7. BI 1026706. It’s made by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. There appear to be lots of Bradykinin 1 receptors in the lungs of COPD patients. Bradykinin is a pro-inflammatory protein that binds with these receptors. The end result is inflammation in the lungs of people with COPD. This may explain why COPD inflammation often responds poorly to current treatment options. lThis drug is an anti-bradykinin 1 antagonist. It would block the effects of Bradykinin. This is a new area so I’m not very familiar with it. So, this might be a topic for a future post. Anyway, this is only in phase I.^1,7-9
8. BI 443651. Also made by Boehringer Ingelheim. It’s an ENAC inhibitor. ENAC regulates the amount of fluid on the surface of airways. It’s also currently being studied for cystic fibrosis. It may play a role in thick sputum. Other than that we’ll just have to wait and see how this turns out. Phase I of development has been completed.^1,10-11
9. Bio-11006. This is yet another completely new COPD medicine. I have trouble understanding the exact mechanisms of how it works at this point. However, it’s supposed to help reduce mucus and inflammation in patients with COPD. Phase II was completed.^2,11
10. CCI 15106. It’s made by GlaxoSmithKline. It appears to be a dry powdered inhaler. I’m not sure what this drug is. However, a study aimed to determine the safety and tolerability of patients who inhaled it. But, the study also studied how much of the drug was admitted into the atmosphere. So, the levels of this drug were studied in bystanders. Interesting. The medicine is also available in capsule form. So, another study aimed to determine the best level of the drug to maintain. I’m at present not sure what this drug does. Phase II of development was recently completed.^1,13

More medicines to come

So, I’m just listing 10 of the 36 medicines in the pipeline here. In a future post, I will list some more. It's kind of neat to see what potential new medicines are out there. Many of these probably won't pass muster. But, some might become future COPD medicinal options. In future posts, we'll investigate the other 26 not listed here.