ACTIVATE: the effect of aclidinium/formoterol on hyperinflation, exercise capacity, and physical activity in patients with COPD

Abstract

Henrik Watz,1 Thierry Troosters,2 Kai M Beeh,3 Judith Garcia-Aymerich,4–6 Pierluigi Paggiaro,7 Eduard Molins,8 Massimo Notari,9 Antonio Zapata,10 Diana Jarreta,8 Esther Garcia Gil8 1Pulmonary Research Institute at LungenClinic Grosshansdorf, Airway Research Center North, German Center for Lung Research, Grosshansdorf, Germany; 2Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Respiratory Division, University Hospital Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; 3insaf Respiratory Research Institute GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany; 4Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; 5Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; 6CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain; 7Department of Surgery, Medicine, Molecular Biology and Critical Care, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; 8AstraZeneca PLC, Barcelona, Spain; 9A. Menarini Farmaceutica Internazionale S.R.L., Firenze, Italy; 10Laboratorios Menarini, S.A., Badalona, Spain Abstract: The Phase IV, 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled ACTIVATE study (NCT02424344) evaluated the effect of aclidinium/formoterol (AB/FF) 400/12 µg twice daily on lung hyperinflation, exercise capacity, and physical activity in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD. Patients received AB/FF (n=134) or placebo (n=133) (1:1) via the Genuair™/Pressair® dry powder inhaler for 8 weeks. From Weeks 5 to 8, all patients participated in behavioral intervention (BI; daily messages providing step goals). The primary end point was trough functional residual capacity (FRC) at Week 4. Exercise endurance time and physical activity were assessed at Week 4 (pharmacotherapy only) and at Week 8 (8 weeks of pharmacotherapy plus 4 weeks of BI). Other end points included post-dose FRC, residual volume, and inspiratory capacity (IC) at rest and during exercise. After 4 weeks, trough FRC improved with AB/FF versus placebo but did not reach significance (125 mL; P=0.0690). However, post-dose FRC, residual volume, and IC at rest improved significantly with AB/FF at Week 4 versus placebo (all P<0.0001). AB/FF significantly improved exercise endurance time and IC at isotime versus placebo at Week 4 (P<0.01 and P<0.0001, respectively) and Week 8 (P<0.05 and P<0.0001, respectively). AB/FF achieved higher step counts (P<0.01) with fewer inactive patients (P<0.0001) at Week 4 versus placebo. Following BI, AB/FF maintained improvements in physical activity at Week 8 and nonsignificant improvements were observed with placebo. AB/FF 400/12 µg demonstrated improvements in lung hyperinflation, exercise capacity, and physical activity versus placebo that were maintained following the addition of BI. A 4-week period of BI might be too short to augment the improvements of physical activity observed with AB/FF. Keywords: COPD, hyperinflation, aclidinium, formoterol, exercise capacity, physical activity

Keywords

• COPD
• hyperinflation
• aclidinium
• formoterol
• exercise capacity
• physical activity