Patient recruitment completes in landmark RELVAR®/ BREO® ELLIPTA® study to understand mortality and morbidITy (SUMMIT) in COPD

GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) and Theravance, Inc. (NASDAQ: THRX) today announced that recruitment of patients into the “Study to Understand Mortality and MorbidITy”, known as SUMMIT, has completed enrolment. The aim of this study, which has now enrolled approximately 16,000 patients, is to determine the impact of Relvar®/Breo® Ellipta® (fluticasone furoate ‘FF’/vilanterol ‘VI’) on all cause mortality amongst patients with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who have cardiovascular disease (CVD) or are at increased risk for CVD.

SUMMIT (NCT01313676) is a multicentre, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study of approximately 16,000 patients with moderate COPD and a history of or increased risk for cardiovascular disease who are randomised to receive either once daily treatment with fluticasone furoate/vilanterol (100/25mcg), fluticasone furoate (100mcg), vilanterol (25mcg) or placebo. The primary objective is to evaluate the effect of FF/VI compared with placebo on survival evaluated by the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality. The secondary endpoints are rate of decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and a composite cardiovascular endpoint.

As an event-driven study, the exact duration of the treatment phase will depend on the mortality rate within the study. However, it is anticipated that each patient will participate in the study for between 16-53 months.

Darrell Baker, SVP and Head, Global Respiratory Franchise, GSK said, “We are very pleased to have completed recruitment in this large study and initiated the final patient onto treatment. We hope that results from this study will increase our understanding of cardiovascular comorbidity in COPD, and of the effects of Relvar/Breo Ellipta when used to manage COPD.”

Rick E Winningham, Chief Executive Officer of Theravance said, “There is limited understanding of the relationship between COPD and cardiovascular disease or the potential to affect patient outcomes. We believe that, once available, the results from this landmark study will enhance our knowledge of these co-morbid conditions and provide important information about treatment with Relvar/Breo in a COPD population with cardiovascular risk factors.”