A Delphi Consensus Document on the Use of Single-Inhaler Fixed-Dose Triple Therapies in COPD Patients

• Main Authors: López-Campos JL, Alcázar Navarrete B, Riesco Miranda JA, Cosío BG, de-Torres JP, Celli B, Jiménez-Ruiz CA, Casanova Macario C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2020-07-01
• Series: International Journal of COPD
• Subjects: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; laba/lama; laba/ics; bronchodilator agents; inhaled corticosteroids; triple therapy; statements; delphi consensus
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/a-delphi-consensus-document-on-the-use-of-single-inhaler-fixed-dose-tr-peer-reviewed-article-COPD

José Luis López-Campos,1,2 Bernardino Alcázar Navarrete,3 Juan Antonio Riesco Miranda,2,4 Borja G Cosío,2,5 Juan P de-Torres,6 Bartolomé Celli,7 Carlos A Jiménez-Ruiz,8 Ciro Casanova Macario9 1Unidad Médico-Quirúrgica de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; 2CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; 3Hospital de Loja, Loja, Granada, Spain; 4Hospital Universitario de Cáceres, Cáceres, Spain; 5Hospital Universitario Son Espases-IdISBa, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; 6Respirology Division, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada; 7Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston, Boston, MA, USA; 8Unidad Especializada en Tabaquismo, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain; 9Servicio de Neumología-Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario La Candelaria, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, SpainCorrespondence: José Luis López-CamposHospital Universitario Virgen del Rocio, Avda. Manuel Siurot, S/N, Sevilla 41013, SpainTel [phone]Email [e-mail]: Despite the evidence provided by clinical trials, there are some uncertainties and controversies regarding the use of triple inhaled therapy. With the aim of evaluating clinical practice in specialized respiratory units, a Delphi consensus document was implemented on the use of single-inhaler fixed-dose triple therapies after 1 year of use in Spain.Methods: A scientific committee of COPD experts defined a thematic index, guided a systematic literature review and helped design the Delphi questionnaire. This was sent to the other 45 COPD experts between April and June 2019. Agreement/disagreement on 58 statements was tested in two rounds using a Likert scale. Replies were classified as a consensus when ≥ 80% of the panelists agreed; a majority when a degree of agreement of ≥ 66% was reached; and divergence if agreement was < 66%.Results: After two rounds, 44.44% of the statements reached consensus, 14.81% reached majority and 40.74% were divergent. Panelists agreed that escalating from double bronchodilation should be phenotype-based and aim to prevent exacerbations but not for improving symptoms. The addition of an antimuscarinic to inhaled corticosteroids combinations achieves improvement in lung function, symptoms and exacerbation prevention. Main safety concerns included the increased risk of pneumonia as compared to bronchodilator therapies, with similar cardiovascular effects. There was no consensus agreement on patient type response based on blood eosinophil counts or obstruction severity.Conclusion: The low degree of consensus among panelists may reflect the complexity of severe COPD management. The information provided here may be useful to clinicians implementing personalized medicine for COPD patients.Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, LABA/LAMA, LABA/ICS, bronchodilator agents, inhaled corticosteroids, triple therapy, statements, Delphi consensus