Prospects for COPD treatment

The management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is fundamentally still heavily dependent on the use of bronchodilators and corticosteroids. Therefore, there is a need for alternative, more effective and safer therapeutic approaches. In particular, since inflammation in COPD lungs is often poorly responsive to corticosteroid treatment, novel pharmacological anti-inflammatory approaches are needed to optimally treat COPD patients. There have been multiple attempts to develop drugs that inhibit recruitment and activation of inflammatory cells, such as macrophages, neutrophils and T-lymphocytes, in the lungs of patients with COPD or target inflammatory mediators that are important in the recruitment or activation of these inflammatory cells or released by such cells. This review article focuses on novel classes of antiinflammatory drugs that have already been tested in humans as possible treatments for patients with COPD.

Automated summary

Current management of COPD heavily relies on bronchodilators and corticosteroids, but due to poor responsiveness of lung inflammation to corticosteroid treatment in COPD patients, novel pharmacological anti-inflammatory approaches are needed for optimal treatment. Multiple attempts have been made to develop drugs targeting inflammatory cells and mediators important in the recruitment or activation of these cells in the lungs of COPD patients. This review focuses on novel classes of anti-inflammatory drugs that have been tested in humans as potential treatments for COPD patients.