GSK's Relvar Approved by European Authorities

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline revealed that European authorities have approved its new inhaled drug Relvar for treating patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The drug is supposed to be inhaled through a palm-sized device called Ellipta and is made up of a corticosteroid, to reduce inflammation, and a novel long-acting beta-agonist that will help to open the airways.

Relvar has been developed in collaboration with Theravance and has already been approved in the United States, where it has been launched under the brand name Breo, though only for treating COPD patients. The approval by European Commission will see Theravance pay $15 million to GSK while a similar payment will be made once the product is launched across the EU.

Source: Medindia