--6 Sep--PRNewswire-AsiaNet/InfoQuest First Prospective Study to Investigate the Effect of SPIRIVA(R) in Early Stage COPD, an Under-Diagnosed Condition Affecting Overall one in ten Adults Globally Patients with mild(x) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treated with SPIRIVA(R) (tiotropium) experienced significantly improved lung function compared with patients receiving placebo, according to the results of a study presented today at the annual meeting of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) congress.(1) This is the first prospective study to focus only on patients with mild COPD, confirming the efficacy of SPIRIVA(R) in this specific subset of the wider COPD population. SPIRIVA(R), a long-acting inhaled anticholinergic medication, is the first inhaled treatment to provide significant and sustained improvements in lung function with once-daily dosing. SPIRIVA(R) positively impacts the clinical course of COPD, helping to change the way patients live with their disease.(2,3) It is the most prescribed medication for the treatment of COPD in the world. "Early diagnosis and effective treatment in the milder stages of COPD is vital in preventing complications and worsening of symptoms over time, ideally helping patients to remain active," said Dr Gunnar Johansson, general practitioner, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden, and lead study investigator. "The results of this study show that patients with mild COPD could benefit significantly from treatment with SPIRIVA(R)." The study was a 12-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled tria of 224 patients with mild COPD.(x) Results showed significant improvement in all lung function assessments with SPIRIVA(R) compared with placebo (including FEV1 and FVC).(1) The extent of improvements were similar to those observed in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.(1) Results showed that compared with treatment with placebo: -- SPIRIVA(R) significantly improved FEV1 area under the curve (AUC0-2h) by 8.4%, p