Brand Name for Indacaterol
The brand name for indacaterol is Onbrez (in Europe) or Arcapta (in the United States). 1, 2, 3, 4
Details About Indacaterol
Indacaterol is a long-acting beta-2 adrenergic agonist (LABA) that is used for maintenance bronchodilator treatment of airflow obstruction in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It has several key characteristics:
- Administration: Once-daily dosing via inhalation through the Breezhaler® device 1
- Onset of action: Rapid onset (approximately 5 minutes), similar to salbutamol 1
- Duration of action: 24-hour bronchodilation (ultra-LABA) 1
- Dosing:
Clinical Significance
Indacaterol offers several advantages in COPD management:
- Rapid and sustained bronchodilation: Provides immediate symptom relief and maintains effect for 24 hours 1
- Improved adherence: Once-daily dosing may improve patient compliance compared to medications requiring multiple daily doses 1
- Reduced hyperinflation: Decreases trapped gas in the lungs, improving exercise tolerance and daily activities 1
- Efficacy: Studies show it's more effective than formoterol at 300 μg dose and better than salmeterol and tiotropium at 150 μg dose for improving lung volumes 1
Comparative Efficacy
When compared to other bronchodilators:
- Indacaterol has shown improvements in lung function that were significantly greater than twice-daily formoterol 12 μg or salmeterol 50 μg 2
- It demonstrated noninferiority to once-daily tiotropium bromide 18 μg 2
- The American College of Chest Physicians recommends LAMAs like tiotropium over LABAs (including indacaterol) for preventing moderate to severe COPD exacerbations 5
Safety Profile
Indacaterol is generally well tolerated in patients with COPD at all stages of disease severity 1. The most common adverse event in clinical trials was COPD worsening, which occurred more commonly with placebo than with indacaterol 2. Importantly, indacaterol has not been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular adverse events 2.