title: Safety and Effectiveness of Indacaterol in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients in South Korea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inhaled indacaterol (Onbrez Breezhaler), a long-acting β2-agonist, is approved in over 100 countries, including South Korea, as a once-daily bronchodilator for maintenance and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Here, we present an interim analysis of a post-marketing surveillance study conducted to evaluate the real-world safety and effectiveness of indacaterol in the Korean population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an open-label, observational, prospective study in which COPD patients, who were newly prescribed with indacaterol (150 or 300 µg), were evaluated for 12 or 24 weeks. Safety was assessed based on the incidence rates of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs). Effectiveness was evaluated based on physician's assessment by considering changes in symptoms and lung function, if the values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second were available.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Safety data were analyzed in 1,016 patients of the 1,043 enrolled COPD patients receiving indacaterol, and 784 patients were included for the effectiveness analysis. AEs were reported in 228 (22.44%) patients, while 98 (9.65%) patients reported SAEs. The COPD condition improved in 348 patients (44.4%), while the condition was maintained in 396 patients (50.5%), and only 40 patients (5.1%) exhibited worsening of ailment as compared with baseline. During the treatment period, 90 patients were hospitalized while nine patients died. All deaths were assessed to be not related to the study drug by the investigator.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In real-life clinical practice in South Korea, indacaterol was well tolerated in COPD patients, and can be regarded as an effective option for their maintenance treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ho-Kee
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Yum
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hak-Ryul
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonology and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Regional Center for Respiratory Disease, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyeong-Cheol
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Novartis Korea Ltd., Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yeon-Mok
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Oh
keywords: Bronchodilator Agents; Indacaterol; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Safety; South Korea; Therapeutics