Conditions: Asthma
Allocation:  | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 388
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This is a 16 week multicentre, multinational, randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, parallel group study to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of tiotropium compared to salmeterol in moderate persistent asthmatic (GINA step 3) patients homozygous for arginine at the 16th amino acid position of the beta-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2). Following an initial 4-week run-in period on salmeterol MDI patients will be randomised into the 16 week double-blind treatment period in which they receive either tiotropium once daily administered from the Respimat inhaler or salmeterol twice daily administered from the hydrofluoro-alkane Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI), or placebo twice daily. After the 16 week treatment period all patients will receive salmeterol MDI twice daily for four weeks.

The patients perform daily morning and evening peak flow (PEF) and Forced Expiratory Volume in the First Second (FEV1) measurements with an electronic peak flow meter throughout the study. Daily data on asthma control and use of rescue medication are recorded using an electronic diary included in the electronic peak flow meter. On study visits the Mini-Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (Elizabeth Juniper) is administered, pulse and blood pressure and pre-dose pulmonary function testing (FEV1 and Forced Vital Capacity) are performed.

Detailed description:

Arms:

Interventions: intervention 1: Tiotropium bromide intervention 2: Placebo intervention 3: Salmeterol xinafoate
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: None intervention 2: None intervention 3: None

Protocol document: