The efficacy and safety of fluticasone propionate (250 microg)/salmeterol (50 microg) combined in the Diskus inhaler for the treatment of COPD.

Study Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of the inhaled corticosteroid fluticasone propionate (FP) and the inhaled long-acting beta(2)-agonist salmeterol (SM), when administered together in a single device (Diskus; GlaxoSmithKline, Inc; Research Triangle Park, NC), with that of placebo and the individual agents alone in patients with COPD.

Design: Randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study.

Setting: Seventy-six investigative sites in the United States.

Effectiveness of fluticasone propionate and salmeterol combination delivered via the Diskus device in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This randomized controlled trial examined the benefits of combining an inhaled corticosteroid, fluticasone propionate (F), with an inhaled long-acting beta(2)-agonist, salmeterol (S), to treat the inflammatory and bronchoconstrictive components of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A total of 691 patients with COPD received the combination of F and S (FSC), S (50 mcg), F (500 mcg), or placebo twice daily via the Diskus device for 24 weeks. A significantly greater increase in predose FEV(1) at the endpoint was observed after FSC (156 ml) compared with S (107 ml, p = 0.