Mylan Recognizes COPD Awareness Month

November 1, 2016

Imagine breathing through a straw - that’s what it feels like to live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Thirty million Americans live with the disease, and nearly 15 million of those suffering don’t even know they have it.

November is COPD Awareness Month, a time to spread awareness about this progressive condition. COPD is a mix of other lung diseases, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema and it kills more than 135,000 Americans each year.

Treating COPD
There is no cure for COPD; however, the disease can be controlled with the right treatments. Mylan has a robust respiratory portfolio and pipeline that includes generic, branded generic and proprietary assets covering multiple indications designed to meet global COPD needs. Mylan’s overall portfolio also includes products that treat five common comorbidities associated with COPD such as hypertension, asthma, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Popular COPD Treatments
Some treatments for COPD include:

• Bronchodilators: Short-acting or long-acting medicines that relax the muscles around airways.
• Combination Bronchodilators plus inhaled glucocorticosteroids: Bronchodilators that relax muscles around airways combined with steroids that help reduce airway inflammation.

Treatment Dosage Forms
COPD treatments can be delivered in several dosage forms, including:

• Dry-powder inhalers (DPI) are handheld devices that deliver a powder-form of medication directly to the lungs.  
• Metered-dose inhalers (MDI) deliver a specific dose of medication using a handheld, aerosol device.
• Nebulizers are electric or battery powered devices that convert liquid medicines into a mist that is inhaled into the lungs.

 

Dry-powder inhaler, metered-dose inhaler and a nebulizer.