Clinical trial NCT00626522 (phase 2, status: completed)
Conditions: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd)
ICD codes: G91.1, I42.1, N11.1, J05.0, G47.33, J44.9, N13.8
Drugs: aclidinium bromide and formoterol, aclidinium bromide and formoterol placebo
SMILES: COC1=CC=C(CC(C)NCC(O)C2=CC(NC=O)=C(O)C=C2)C=C1, OC(C(=O)O[C@H]1C[N+]2(CCCOC3=CC=CC=C3)CCC1CC2)(C1=CC=CS1)C1=CC=CS1
Eligibility criteria:

        Inclusion Criteria:

          1. Adult males or non-pregnant, non-lactating females aged between 40 and 80 years old,
             both inclusive. Women of childbearing potential were allowed to enter the trial only
             if they used two medically approved contraceptive measures (ie, mechanical and
             pharmacological).

             (A female was considered to be of childbearing potential unless she had a
             hysterectomy, was at least one year post-menopause or had undergone tubal ligation.
             All women of childbearing potential were to have a negative serum pregnancy test at
             the Screening Visit).

          2. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of stable moderate to severe COPD (stages II and
             III) according to the GOLD 2006 classification (http://www.goldcopd.com).

          3. Current or ex-cigarette smoker with a smoking history of at least 10 pack-years.

             Pack-years were calculated by dividing the number of cigarettes smoked per day by 20
             (the number of cigarettes in a pack) and multiplying this figure by the number of
             years a person had smoked. For example, a person who smoked 40 cigarettes a day and
             had smoked for 10 years would have had a 20 pack-year smoking history (40 cigarettes
             per day ÷ 20 cigarettes per pack = 2; 2 x 10 years of smoking = 20 pack-year history).

             Patients smoking other tobacco types were not allowed, unless they met the cigarette
             criterion as well.

          4. Patients whose Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) at the Screening Visit
             measured between 30-45 minutes post inhalation of 400 μg of salbutamol was 30% ≤FEV1
             <80% of the predicted normal value (ie, 100 x Post-salbutamol FEV1/Predicted FEV1 <80%
             and ≥30%). (Predicted normal values used for calculation purposes were to be based on
             European Community for Steel and Coal predicted values)

          5. Patients whose FEV1/Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) at the Screening Visit measured
             between 30- 45 minutes post inhalation of 400 μg of salbutamol was <70% (ie, 100 x
             Post-salbutamol FEV1/FVC <70%).

          6. Patients whose COPD symptoms and FEV1 values at the time of randomisation were stable
             compared to the Screening Visit, according to the Investigator's medical judgment.

          7. Patients who were eligible and able to participate in the trial and who consented to
             do so in writing after the purpose and nature of the investigation had been explained.

        Exclusion Criteria:

          1. History or current diagnosis of asthma, allergic rhinitis or atopy, or
             exercise-induced bronchospasm.

          2. Eosinophil count ≥600 cells/mm3.

          3. Clinically significant respiratory conditions at the time of Screening Visit defined
             as:

               -  Use of long-term oxygen therapy >5 h/day,

               -  Known active tuberculosis,

               -  History of interstitial lung or pulmonary thromboembolic disease,

               -  Pulmonary resection during the past 12 months,

               -  History of life-threatening COPD,

               -  History of bronchiectasis secondary to respiratory diseases others than COPD (eg,
                  cystic fibrosis, Kartagener's syndrome, etc),

               -  Patients who in the Investigator's opinion may have needed to stop or start
                  pulmonary rehabilitation or undergo a thoracotomy during the trial,

          4. Hospitalisation due to COPD exacerbation, up to the 3 months prior to the Screening
             Visit.

          5. Signs of a COPD exacerbation or respiratory infection (including the upper respiratory
             tract), up to the 6 weeks prior to the Screening Visit.

          6. Clinically significant cardiovascular conditions at the time of Screening Visit
             defined as:

               -  Myocardial infarction within the previous 6 months,

               -  Unstable arrhythmia which has required changes in the pharmacological therapy or
                  other intervention within the previous 12 months, or newly diagnosed arrhythmia
                  within the previous 3 months.

               -  Hospitalisation within the previous 12 months for heart failure functional
                  classes III (marked limitation of activity and only comfortable at rest) and IV
                  (need of complete rest, confinement to bed or chair, discomfort at any physical
                  activity and presence of symptoms at rest) as per the New York Heart Association
                  classification (www.americanheart.org)

               -  Thoracic surgery within the previous 24 months

          7. Presence of symptomatic prostatic hypertrophy and/or bladder neck obstruction.
             (However, patients who had a diagnosis of these conditions but without symptoms due to
             stable concomitant medication for its treatment were allowed to enter trial).

          8. Presence of narrow-angle glaucoma.

          9. History of untoward reactions or known hypersensitivity to inhaled anticholinergics
             (including aclidinium bromide), β2 adrenergic agonists or inhaled medication or any
             component thereof (including report of paradoxical bronchospasm).

         10. Life expectancy of less than 1 year.

         11. Prolonged QT interval corrected using Bazett's formula (QTcB) interval (>470 msec) in
             any of the ECGs performed before randomisation, and/or the use of drugs which may have
             induced its prolongation.

         12. Clinically relevant abnormalities in laboratory results, ECG parameters (other than
             QTcB), or physical examination if the abnormality defines a disease state listed as an
             exclusion criterion, except for those related to COPD.

         13. Clinically significant diseases other than COPD, which, in the opinion of the
             Investigator, may have put the patient at risk because of the participation in the
             trial; or diseases which may have influenced the results of the study or the patient's
             ability to take part in it.

         14. Patients who did not maintain regular day/night, waking/sleeping cycles (eg, night
             shift workers were to be excluded).

         15. Patients who intended to use any concomitant medication not permitted by the protocol
             or who had not undergone the required wash-out period for a particular prohibited
             medication.

         16. Patients who were unable or unlikely to be cooperative with the study requirements of
             taking the medication, completion of the Patient Diary and attending the clinic for
             study visits.

         17. Patients who were unable to properly use a dry powder or pressurised metered-dose
             inhalers (pMDI) inhaler device and/or to perform acceptable and reproducible
             spirometry measurements as per the ATS/ERS standards (Standardisation of lung function
             test, 2005 20).

         18. History of drug and/or alcohol abuse or addiction during the previous 2 years.

         19. Previous participation in another clinical trial with any investigational medicinal
             product 6 weeks prior to the Screening Visit. (Patients who had participated in a
             previous clinical trial with aclidinium bromide (Almirall product code LAS34273) were
             to be allowed to participate in this study provided that the above criterion was
             fulfilled. This circumstance was to be specifically recorded on the eCRF).