Inhaler Operability and Patient Satisfaction Regarding Genuair® and Respimat® Inhalers for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Crossover Study

Abstract

Introduction: Tiotropium via the Respimat® device, once daily, is a common treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Aclidinium via the Genuair® device, twice daily, is an alternative option. However, there are few studies comparing the two devices. We evaluated inhaler operability, patient satisfaction, and patient preference between Genuair and Respimat inhalers after 2 weeks of daily use. Methods: COPD patients were randomly assigned to a Genuair or Respimat treatment group at Week 0, and were switched to the other treatment at the end of Week 2. The primary endpoint was the correct operation rate of the devices. The secondary endpoints included number of instructions needed to correctly operate the devices, number of technique errors, overall patient satisfaction, and willingness to continue using a device. Results: Fifty-four outpatients (mean age 74.3 ± 10.1 years, 52 men) were enrolled, and all completed the study. The correct operation rate for the Genuair device was significantly higher than for the Respimat device (96.0 ± 7.4% and 89.1 ± 12.8%, respectively; p < 0.001). Patients required significantly less instruction to handle the Genuair device correctly and made fewer technique errors compared to the Respimat device. The mean overall satisfaction scores were significantly better for Genuair than Respimat, and significantly more patients were willing to continue using the Genuair device. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the Genuair device is suitable for COPD patients, especially for those who are less adherent to treatment because of difficulties in inhaler handling, compared with the Respimat device. Trial Registration: Clinical Trials Registry (R000022399, UMIN000019373, 23/October/2015). Funding: Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.