Primary care respiratory journal : journal of the General Practice Airways Group
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Therapeutic interventions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) shown to reduce exacerbations include smoking cessation, vaccination and appropriate pharmacological therapy. Long-acting bronchodilators are the cornerstone of COPD pharmacotherapy, whereas inhaled corticosteroids and mucolytics have shown benefit in subgroups of patients. Despite management with existing therapies, clinical trials confirm the persistent nature of exacerbations throughout the course of the disease. ⋯ Serious adverse events tended to be low across all studies. Roflumilast is currently licensed in Europe, and is indicated as maintenance treatment in severe COPD (i.e. in patients with post-bronchodilator FEV1 <50% predicted) associated with chronic bronchitis in adult patients with a history of frequent exacerbations as an add-on to bronchodilator treatment. Clear identification of patients eligible for roflumilast will require improved characterisation and phenotyping of patients in primary care, including lung function measurement, accurate health status classification, and recording of chronic cough and regular sputum production.