Add-on therapy with EPs 7630 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – an overview on clinical efficacy and safety

The herbal drug preparation EPs^® 7630 (Umckaloabo^®; ISO Arzneimittel, Ettlingen, Germany) from the roots of Pelargonium sidoides has already been shown to be efficacious and safe in adults, adolescents and children from the age of one year on suffering from acute respiratory tract infections [1]. Recently, EPs^® 7630 add-on therapy was also acknowledged in the Swiss National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Guidelines for pharmacological management of stable COPD [2]. Among the main goals of current pharmacotherapy in COPD as described by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Report 2019 [3] are the reduction of frequency and severity of exacerbations and the improvement of health status. Based on this background, an overview on clinical efficacy and safety of EPs^® 7630 treatment in COPD is presented. Study results show that add-on therapy with 3x30 drops/day EPs^® 7630 over 24 weeks in addition to a standardized baseline treatment according to GOLD led to a significantly prolonged time to exacerbation, to fewer exacerbations, improved quality of life, higher patient satisfaction, less days of inability to work, and a reduction in antibiotic use in patients with moderate to severe COPD. The incidence of adverse events was comparable to placebo. In conclusion, these results demonstrate a statistically significant and clinically relevant superiority of EPs^® 7630 add-on therapy compared to placebo and an excellent long-term tolerability and safety in the treatment of patients suffering from COPD.

• References

• 1 Matthys H, Lehmacher W, Zimmermann A, Brandes J, Kamin W. EPs 7630 in acute respiratory tract infections – a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. J Lung Pulm Respir Res 2016; 3: 00068
• 2 Stolz D, Barandun J, Borer H, Bridevaux PO, Brun P, Brutsche M, Clarenbach C, Eich C, Fiechter R, Frey M, Geiser T, Grob M, Helfenstein E, Junker L, Kohler M, Latshang T, Lechmann A, Maurer M, Nicod L, Quadri F, Schilter D, Sigrist T, Soccal P, Tarr P, Thurnheer R, Turk A, Tamm M. Diagnosis, prevention and treatment of stable COPD and acute exacerbations of COPD: The Swiss Recommendations 2018. Respiration 2018; 96: 382-398
• 3 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2019 report). Available at:. https://goldcopd.org/gold-reports. Last accessed 02.04.2019.