GOLD provides evidence-based guidelines for COPD management and is updated annually by a committee of leading COPD experts.
A section on the new class, phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors, describes the efficacy of roflumilast in patients with COPD.
The guidelines acknowledge that the principal action of PDE4 inhibitors is to reduce inflammation and its clinical implications in COPD patients
University of Liverpool, University of Liverpool, Peter Calverley said that studies have shown that the PDE4 inhibitor, roflumilast, significantly reduces exacerbations.
"The GOLD guidelines recognise its contribution to the management of this debilitating disease and it is important that physicians who treat COPD have this information," Calverley added.
Daxas has been received approval in the European Union and in Canada recently, and has been launched in Germany, Denmark and UK.