Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A 12-Month Double-Blind, Double-Dummy, Randomized, Parallel Group, Multicenter Efficacy and Safety Study of Symbicort® pMDI 2 x 160/4.5 μg Bid and 2 x 80/4.5 μg Bid Compared to Formoterol Turbuhaler® 2 x 4.5 μg Bid and Placebo in Patients With COPD
Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to compare Symbicort in a pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) with formoterol and placebo in the long-term maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* A clinical diagnosis of COPD with symptoms for more than 2 years.
* Smoking history of 10 or more pack years
* A history of at least one COPD exacerbation requiring a course of oral steroids and/or antibiotics within 1-12 months before first visit.

Exclusion Criteria:

* A history of asthma
* Patients taking oral steroids
* Any significant disease or disorder that may jeopardize the safety of the patient
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* \>=40 years of age, diagnosed COPD with symptoms \>=2 years, pre-bronchodilatory FEV1 \<=50% of PN

Exclusion Criteria:

* Current respiratory tract disorder other than COPD, history of asthma or rhinitis, significant or unstable cardiovascular disorder
C: Inclusion criteria:

* Diagnosis of COPD and diagnosis of asthma before the age of 30
* Current or ex-smokers with a cigarette smoking history of at least 10 pack-years
* Treatment with inhaled steroids at least 1 year before study entry
* FEV1 increase of more than 12% 30 min. after 400 mcg salbutamol or documented reversibility of 12% documented during the past 5 years
* FEV1 increase of more than 200 mL 30 min. after 400 mcg salbutamol or documented increase of 200 mL after reversibility test within the last 5 years
* Post bronchodilator FEV1 less than 80% predicted normal (ECCS) at visit 1
* Post bronchodilator FEV1 less than 70% of FVC at visit 1

Exclusion criteria:

* Respiratory infection or exacerbation 6 weeks prior to Visit 1 or during run-in period.
* Significant diseases other than COPD or asthma
* Myocardial infarction within the last 6 months
* Unstable or life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia requiring intervention or change in therapy in the last year
* Hospitalisation for heart failure (NYHA Class III or IV) within the last year
* History of life-threatening pulmonary obstruction, cystic fibrosis or clinically evident bronchiectasis
* Known active tuberculosis
* History of thoracotomy with pulmonary resection
* History of cancer within the last 5 years (excluding treated basal cell carcinoma)
* Patients requiring oxygen therapy for more than 1 hour per day
* Patients currently in a pulmonary rehabilitation programme or who have completed such a programme within 4 weeks before Visit 1
* Known hypersensitivity to anticholinergic drugs or lactose
D: Inclusion Criteria :

1. Male or female adults aged ≥40 years, who had signed an informed consent form prior to initiation of any study-related procedure.
2. Patients with severe to very severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD (Stage III or IV) according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Guidelines 2008.
3. Current or ex-smokers with a smoking history of at least 10 pack years (Ten pack-years were defined as 20 cigarettes a day for 10 years, or 10 cigarettes a day for 20 years).
4. Patients with a post-bronchodilator Forced Expiratory Volume in one second ( FEV1) \<50% of the predicted normal value, and post-bronchodilator FEV1/ Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) \<0.70 at Visit 2 (day -14). (Post refers to 1 h after sequential inhalation of 84 µg (or equivalent dose) of ipratropium bromide and 400 µg of salbutamol).
5. A documented history of at least 1 COPD exacerbation in the previous 12 months that required treatment with systemic glucocorticosteroids and/or antibiotics.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnant women or nursing mothers (pregnancy confirmed by positive urine pregnancy test).
2. Women of child-bearing potential
3. Patients requiring long term oxygen therapy (\> 15 h a day) on a daily basis for chronic hypoxemia.
4. Patients who had a COPD exacerbation that required treatment with antibiotics, systemic steroids (oral or intravenous) or hospitalization in the 6 weeks prior to visit 1 or between visit 1 (Day -21) and Visit 3 (Day 1).
5. Patients who developed a COPD exacerbation during a period between visit 1 and 3 were ineligible but were permitted to be re-screened after a minimum of 6 weeks after the resolution of the COPD exacerbation.
6. Patients who had a respiratory tract infection within 4 weeks prior to visit 1 (Day -21)

   • Patients who developed an upper or lower respiratory tract infection during the screening period (up to visit 3 (Day 1) were not eligible, but were permitted to be re-screened 4 weeks after the resolution of the respiratory tract infection
7. Patients with concomitant pulmonary disease, e.g. pulmonary tuberculosis (unless confirmed by chest x-ray to be no longer active), clinically significant bronchiectasis, sarcoidosis, interstitial lung disorder or pulmonary hypertension.
8. Patients with lung lobectomy, or lung volume reduction or lung transplantation.
9. Patients who, in the judgment of the investigator, have a clinically relevant laboratory abnormality or a clinically significant condition such as (but not limited to):

   * Unstable ischemic heart disease, left ventricular failure, history of myocardial infarction, arrhythmia (excluding chronic stable Atrial Fibrillation (AF). Patients with such events not considered clinically significant by the investigator may be considered for inclusion in the study
   * history of malignancy of any organ system (including lung cancer), treated or untreated, within the past 5 years whether or not there is evidence of local recurrence or metastases, with the exception of localized basal cell carcinoma of the skin
   * uncontrolled hypo- or hyperthyroidism, hypokalemia or hyper adrenergic state
   * narrow-angle glaucoma
   * Symptomatic prostatic hyperplasia or bladder-neck obstruction or moderate to severe renal impairment or urinary retention. (Patients with a Transurethral Resection of Prostate (TURP) were excluded from the study. Patients who underwent full re-section of the prostate could be considered for the study, as well as patients who were asymptomatic and stable on pharmacological treatment for the condition).
   * any condition which might have compromised patient safety or compliance, interfered with evaluation, or precluded completion of the study
10. Patients with any history of asthma indicated by (but not limited to) a blood eosinophil count \> 600/mm3 (at visit 2), or onset of symptoms prior to 40 years. Patients without asthma were excluded if their eosinophil count was \>600/mm3 at visit 2.
11. Patients with allergic rhinitis who used H1 antagonists or intranasal corticosteroids intermittently (treatment with a constant dose was permitted).
12. Patients with eczema (atopic), known high immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels or a known positive skin prick test in the last 5 years.
13. Patients with known history and diagnosis of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
14. Patients who were participating in the active phase of a supervised pulmonary rehabilitation program.
15. Patients with Type I or uncontrolled Type II diabetes.
16. Patients contraindicated for treatment with, or having a history of reactions/ hypersensitivity to any of the following inhaled drugs or drugs of a similar class or any component thereof:

    * anticholinergic agents
    * long and short acting beta-2 agonists
    * sympathomimetic amines.
17. Patients with a history of long QT syndrome or whose corrected QT interval (QTc) measured at visit 2 (Day -14) (Fridericia method) was prolonged (\>450 ms for males and females) as confirmed by the central ECG assessor.
18. Patients with a clinically significant abnormality on the screening or baseline ECG who in the judgment of the investigator would be at potential risk if enrolled into the study. (These patients could not be re-screened).
19. Patients who needed treatments for COPD and allied conditions after the start of the study (visit 1)
20. Patients who needed treatments for COPD and allied conditions (e.g. allergic rhinitis) unless they had been stabilized
21. Patients taking other prohibited medications
22. Patients unable to use a dry powder inhaler (e.g. single dose dry powder inhaler (SDDPI), HandiHaler® device, or pressurized Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI) (rescue medication).
23. Patients unable to use an electronic patient diary.
24. Patients who were, in the opinion of the investigator known to be unreliable or non-compliant.
25. Patients who used other investigational drugs at the time of enrollment, or within 30 days or 5 half-lives of visit 1 (day -21), whichever was longer.
26. Patients who had live attenuated vaccination within 30 days prior to the screening visit or during the run-in period. Inactivated influenza vaccination, pneumococcal vaccination or any other inactivated vaccine was acceptable provided it was not administered within 48 hours prior to screening and randomization visits.

No additional exclusions were applied by the investigator, in order to ensure that the study population was representative of all eligible patients.

Answer: A