Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A Phase III Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel-group Trial to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Tiotropium Inhalation Solution Delivered Via Respimat® Inhaler (5 mcg/Day) Over 48 Weeks as add-on Controller Therapy on Top of Usual Care in Patients With Severe Persistent Asthma
Brief Summary: The trial is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 5 µg tiotropium over a 48-week treatment period as compared to placebo. Tiotropium inhalation solution delivered by the Respimat® inhaler will be examined as add-on controller therapy on top of usual care in patients with severe persistent asthma.

The primary objective of each trial is to evaluate the long term efficacy of tiotropium over placebo on top of usual care in patients with severe persistent asthma as determined by pulmonary function testing, effects on asthma exacerbations, effects on quality of life, on asthma control and health care resource utilisation. The secondary objective of each trial is to compare the long term safety of tiotropium with placebo in this patient population.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Persistent asthma for at least 1-year
* Must use a daily asthma controller medication for at least 4 weeks prior to randomization, including an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) with or without a long-acting beta agonist (LABA) or other adjunctive asthma therapy OR be using a leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA), xanthine or short acting beta agonist (SABA) as a monotherapy.
* Must be able to discontinue current asthma medication
* Must have a history of at least one asthma exacerbation in previous 4 to 52 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

* Unstable asthma
* Taking high dose ICS with or without other adjunctive therapy who have an Asthma Control Questionnaire 6 (ACQ6) total score ≥ 1.5
* Taking LTRA, xanthine or SABA monotherapy with an ACQ-6 total score \< 1.5 (controlled)
* Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), or other significant, non-asthmatic, lung disease
* Clinically significant abnormality, illness or disorder of any body or organ system
* Significant underlying cardiovascular condition which may contraindicate use of a beta-agonist.
* History of smoking greater than 10-pack years
* Had an asthma exacerbation within 4 weeks of the Baseline Visit
* Had more than 4 asthma exacerbations or 2 hospitalizations within 52 weeks of the randomization visit
* Known or suspected hypersensitivity or intolerance to corticosteroids, beta-2 agonists, or any of the (inactive ingredients) excipients present in the medications used in this study
* Require the use of chronic systemic steroids, omalizumab, or other monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies
* Requires the use of beta-blockers
* History of life-threatening asthma, including an asthma episode that required intubation and/or was associated with hypercapnia requiring noninvasive ventilatory support
* Lactating, pregnant, or plans to become pregnant during the course of the trial
B: Inclusion criteria:

1. All patients must sign and date an Informed Consent Form consistent with ICH-GCP guidelines and local legislation prior to participation in the trial (i.e. prior to any trial procedures, including any pre-trial washout of medications and medication restrictions for pulmonary function test at Visit 1).
2. Male or female patients aged at least 18 years but not more than 75 years.
3. All patients must have at least a 5-year history of asthma at the time of enrolment into the trial and the diagnosis of asthma must have been made before the patient´s age of 40.
4. All patients must have a diagnosis of severe persistent asthma and must be symptomatic despite treatment with high, stable doses of inhaled corticosteroids and a long-acting beta adrenergic agent
5. All patients must have a history of one or more asthma exacerbation in the past year.
6. Patients must have evidence of treated, severe, persistent asthma in postbronchodilatory pulmonary function tests.
7. Patients should be never-smokers or ex-smokers who stopped smoking at least one year prior to enrolment and who have a smoking history of less than 10 pack years
8. Patients must be able to use the Respimat® inhaler correctly
9. Patients must be able to perform all trial related procedures including technically acceptable pulmonary function tests and use of the electronic diary/peak flow meter.

Exclusion criteria:

1. Patients with a significant disease other than asthma. A significant disease is defined as a disease which, in the opinion of the investigator, may (i) put the patient at risk because of participation in the trial, or (ii) influence the results of the trial, or (iii) cause concern regarding the patient´s ability to participate in the trial.
2. Patients with clinically relevant abnormal screening haematology or blood chemistry.
3. Patients with a recent history (i.e. six months or less) of myocardial infarction, hospitalisation for cardiac failure during the past year, any unstable or life threatening cardiac arrhythmia or cardiac arrhythmia requiring intervention or a change in drug therapy within the past year, known active tuberculosis, malignancy for which the patient has undergone resection, radiation therapy or chemotherapy within the last five years (treated basal cell carcinoma allowed), lung diseases other than asthma (e.g. COPD), significant alcohol or drug abuse within the past two years, patients who have undergone thoracotomy with pulmonary resection. Patients with a history of thoracotomy for other reasons should be evaluated as per exclusion criterion No. 1.
4. Patients who are currently in a pulmonary rehabilitation program or have completed a pulmonary rehabilitation program in the 6 weeks prior to the screening visit (Visit 1).
5. Patients using oral corticosteroid medication at stable doses exceeding 5 mg prednisolone or prednisolone equivalent every day or 10 mg prednisolone or prednisolone equivalent every second day.
6. Patients with known hypersensitivity to anticholinergic drugs, BAC, EDTA or any other components of the tiotropium inhalation solution.
7. Pregnant or nursing women or women of childbearing potential not using a highly effective method of birth control. Female patients will be considered to be of childbearing potential unless surgically sterilised by hysterectomy or bilateral tubal ligation/salpingectomy, or post-menopausal for at least two years.
8. Patients who have taken an investigational drug within four weeks or six half-lives (whichever is greater) prior to Visit 1.
9. Patients who have been treated with the long-acting anticholinergic tiotropium (Spiriva®), beta-blocker medication, oral beta-adrenergics, other non-approved and according to international guidelines not recommended ´experimental´ drugs for routine asthma therapy (e.g. TNF-alpha blockers, methotrexate, cyclosporin) within four weeks prior to the Screening Visit (Visit 1) or during the screening period.
10. Patients with any asthma exacerbation or respiratory tract infection in the four weeks prior to the trial.
11. Patients who have previously been randomised in this trial or in the respective twin trial (205.416 versus 205.417) or are currently participating in another trial.
12. Patients with a known narrow-angle glaucoma.

Note:

As with other anticholinergic drugs, tiotropium should be used with caution in patients with prostatic hyperplasia or bladder neck obstruction.

As with all predominantly renally excreted drugs, patients with moderate to severe renal impairment (known creatinine clearance of \<= 50 mL/min) treated with tiotropium should be monitored closely.
C: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Black (self-identified, with at least one biological parent identified as Black)
2. Male and female subjects, ages 18-75
3. Ability to provide informed consent
4. Clinical history consistent with asthma for \> 1 year.
5. Ability to perform pulmonary function tests
6. FEV1 \> 40% of predicted
7. Receiving inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)/LABA combination therapy, or ICS moderate dose monotherapy and baseline ACQ\>1.25
8. Non-smoker for past year (total lifetime smoking history \< 10 pack-years)

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Use of greater than the equivalent of 1000 mcg inhaled fluticasone daily
2. Chronic use of oral corticosteroids or Anti IgE for asthma
3. Lung disease other than asthma or diagnosis of vocal cord dysfunction.
4. Significant medical illness (other than asthma) that is not stable.
5. Pregnancy or lactation or an unwillingness to maintain effective birth control.
6. History of a significant exacerbation of asthma or respiratory tract infection in the prior 4 weeks
7. History of life-threatening asthma requiring treatment with intubation and mechanical ventilation within 5 years.
8. Hypo sensitization therapy other than an established maintenance regimen.
9. Use of inhaled anticholinergic therapy (ipratropium, tiotropium) in prior month
10. Known contraindication to inhaled tiotropium e.g. narrow angle glaucoma, history of bladder neck obstruction or significant symptoms related to prostatic hypertrophy.
11. Inability to speak and read English.
D: Adult and adolescent subjects of either sex and any race, at least 12 years of age or older, with a diagnosis of asthma of at least 12 months' duration, will be eligible for enrollment. Subjects must meet all of the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria to receive treatment assignment.

Key Inclusion Criteria Include

- A subject must have been using a medium daily dose of inhaled glucocorticosteroid (ICS) (either alone or in combination with a long-acting beta agonist (LABA)) for at least 12 weeks and must have been on a stable regimen (daily dose unchanged) for at least 2 weeks prior to Screening. Medium daily doses of ICS are defined as follows:

* \>500 to 1000 mcg beclomethasone chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
* \>250 to 500 mcg beclomethasone hydrofluoroalkane (HFA)
* \>600 to 1000 mcg budesonide dry powder inhaler (DPI)
* \>1000 to 2000 mcg flunisolide
* \>250 to 500 mcg fluticasone
* 400 mcg MF
* \>1000 to 2000 mcg triamcinolone acetonide

Note: Dose delivery by method or modality other than those noted above must be equivalent.

* If, based upon the medical judgment of the investigator, there is no inherent harm in changing the subject's current asthma therapy, then the subject (and parent/guardian, if applicable) must be willing to discontinue his/her prescribed ICS or ICS/LABA combination at the Screening Visit, and be transferred to open-label treatment with MF MDI 200 mcg BID for 2 to 3 weeks prior to the Baseline/Randomization Visit.
* To document the diagnosis of asthma and assure the subject's responsiveness to bronchodilators before randomization one of the following methods can be used at the Screening Visit, Day -14, or thereafter, but prior to the Baseline Visit:

  1. The subject must demonstrate an increase in absolute FEV1 of at least 12% and at least 200 mL within 15 minutes after administration of four inhalations of albuterol/salbutamol (total dose of 360 to 400 mcg) or of nebulized SABA (2.5 mg) if confirmed as standard office practice, OR
  2. The subject must demonstrate a peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability of more than 20% expressed as a percentage of the highest and lowest morning prebronchodilator PEF over at least 1 week, OR
  3. The subject must demonstrate a diurnal variation in PEF of more than 20% based on the difference between the prebronchodilator morning value and the postbronchodilator value from the evening before, expressed as a percentage of the mean daily PEF value.
* At the Screening Visit, the subject's FEV1 must be ≥60% and ≤90% predicted.
* At the Baseline Visit, the subject's FEV1 must be ≥60% and ≤85% predicted when all restricted medications have been withheld for the appropriate intervals.
* Clinical laboratory tests (complete blood counts \[CBC\], blood chemistries, and urinalysis) conducted at the Screening Visit must be within normal limits or clinically acceptable to the investigator/sponsor. An electrocardiogram (ECG) using a centralized trans-telephonic technology at the Screening Visit must be clinically acceptable to the investigator. A chest x-ray performed at the Screening Visit, or within 12 months prior to the Screening Visit, must be clinically acceptable to the investigator.
* A female subject of childbearing potential must have been using a medically acceptable, adequate form of birth control. This includes: 1) hormonal contraceptives as prescribed by a physician (oral combined, hormonal implant); 2) medically prescribed intra-uterine device (IUD); 3) condom in combination with a spermicide (double barrier method); 4) monogamous relationship with a male partner who has had a vasectomy. The subject must have started this birth control method at least 3 months prior to Screening (with the exception of condom in combination with spermicide), and must agree to continue its use for the duration of the study. A female subject of childbearing potential who is not currently sexually active must agree and consent to using a medically acceptable birth control method should she become sexually active during the course of this study. Women who have been surgically sterilized or are at least 1 year postmenopausal are not considered to be of childbearing potential. A female subject of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test at Screening in order to be considered eligible for enrollment.

Key Exclusion Criteria Include

* A subject who demonstrates a change (increase or decrease) in absolute FEV1 of \>20% at any time from the Screening Visit up to and including the Baseline Visit.
* A subject who requires the use of greater than eight inhalations per day of SABA MDI, or two or more nebulized treatments per day of 2.5 mg SABA, on any 2 consecutive days from the Screening Visit up to and including the Baseline Visit.
* A subject who experiences a decrease in AM or PM PEF below the Screening Period stability limit on any 2 consecutive days prior to Randomization.
* A subject who experiences an occurrence of any clinical deterioration of asthma that results in emergency treatment, hospitalization due to asthma, or treatment with additional, excluded asthma medication (other than SABA) as judged by the clinical investigator at any time from the Screening Visit up to and including the Baseline Visit.
* A subject who is a smoker or ex-smoker and has smoked within the previous year or has had a cumulative smoking history \>10 pack-years

Answer: B