Roflumilast: a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor for the treatment of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Roflumilast is a newly approved phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor for the treatment of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated with chronic bronchitis and a history of exacerbations.
The objective of this article is to review the pharmacology, clinical efficacy, and tolerability of roflumilast in the treatment of COPD.
Articles were identified using MEDLINE (1966-August 1, 2011) and EMBASE (1947-August 1, 2011). Searches were conducted using the terms roflumilast and COPD. Included in the search were all English-language clinical trials that were randomized, had durations of >6 weeks, and studied the effects of roflumilast on the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) or rates of exacerbations in patients with COPD. Abstracts from the annual meetings of the American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians, and European Respiratory Society were also searched to identify relevant publications. In addition, all pertinent studies evaluating the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of roflumilast were included.
A total of 6 clinical trials (4 publications) evaluating the efficacy of roflumilast were identified and included. For the treatment of COPD, roflumilast was associated with a significant improvement in lung function (increase in FEV(1) of 36-88 mL) when compared with placebo. Roflumilast also reduced the rate of exacerbations in subsets of patients with chronic cough and a history of exacerbations. Overall, health-related quality of life was not significantly affected. Adverse effects were common in clinical trials, with 9% to 16% of patients discontinuing therapy as a result. The most frequently reported adverse effects were gastrointestinal issues, headache, and weight loss. Suicide-related adverse effects have occurred in 5 patients receiving roflumilast and 1 patient receiving placebo.
Roflumilast significantly improved FEV(1) in clinical trials but had inconsistent reductions in the rates of exacerbations. Comparative studies with recommended therapies for COPD, particularly inhaled corticosteroids, are needed to better assess the role of roflumilast in the management of COPD.
Pinner NA
，Hamilton LA
，Hughes A
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The preclinical pharmacology of roflumilast--a selective, oral phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor in development for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
After more than two decades of research into phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors, roflumilast (3-cyclopropylmethoxy-4-difluoromethoxy-N-[3,5-di-chloropyrid-4-yl]-benzamide) may become the first agent in this class to be approved for patient treatment worldwide. Within the PDE family of 11 known isoenzymes, roflumilast is selective for PDE4, showing balanced selectivity for subtypes A-D, and is of high subnanomolar potency. The active principle of roflumilast in man is its dichloropyridyl N-oxide metabolite, which has similar potency as a PDE4 inhibitor as the parent compound. The long half-life and high potency of this metabolite allows for once-daily, oral administration of a single, 500-microg tablet of roflumilast. The molecular mode of action of roflumilast--PDE4 inhibition and subsequent enhancement of cAMP levels--is well established. To further understand its functional mode of action in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), for which roflumilast is being developed, a series of in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies has been performed. COPD is a progressive, devastating condition of the lung associated with an abnormal inflammatory response to noxious particles and gases, particularly tobacco smoke. In addition, according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), significant extrapulmonary effects, including comorbidities, may add to the severity of the disease in individual patients, and which may be addressed preferentially by orally administered remedies. COPD shows an increasing prevalence and mortality, and its treatment remains a high, unmet medical need. In vivo, roflumilast mitigates key COPD-related disease mechanisms such as tobacco smoke-induced lung inflammation, mucociliary malfunction, lung fibrotic and emphysematous remodelling, oxidative stress, pulmonary vascular remodelling and pulmonary hypertension. In vitro, roflumilast N-oxide has been demonstrated to affect the functions of many cell types, including neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, endothelial cells, epithelial cells, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts. These cellular effects are thought to be responsible for the beneficial effects of roflumilast on the disease mechanisms of COPD, which translate into reduced exacerbations and improved lung function. As a multicomponent disease, COPD requires a broad therapeutic approach that might be achieved by PDE4 inhibition. However, as a PDE4 inhibitor, roflumilast is not a direct bronchodilator. In summary, roflumilast may be the first-in-class PDE4 inhibitor for COPD therapy. In addition to being a non-steroid, anti-inflammatory drug designed to target pulmonary inflammation, the preclinical pharmacology described in this review points to a broad functional mode of action of roflumilast that putatively addresses additional COPD mechanisms. This enables roflumilast to offer effective, oral maintenance treatment for COPD, with an acceptable tolerability profile and the potential to favourably affect the extrapulmonary effects of the disease.
Hatzelmann A
，Morcillo EJ
，Lungarella G
，Adnot S
，Sanjar S
，Beume R
，Schudt C
，Tenor H
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