COPD (Positioning of Current and Emerging Agents) | Physician & Payer Forum | Brazil and Mexico | 2014
Improvements in patient access to novel treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Brazil and Mexico are largely dependent on the expansion of drug coverage by local authorities. New premium-priced agents, such as the long-acting beta2 agonist (LABA)/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) and the recently approved once-daily LABA/inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) FDC Relvar/Relvare (GlaxoSmithKline/Theravance’s vilanterol/fluticasone furoate), will compete with established marketed therapies, especially the LABA/FDCs soon to be generically available. New brands will face not only the initial market access hurdle of the regulatory agencies in the countries under study but also the subsequent challenge of incorporation into publically funded formularies in these highly competitive markets dominated by aggressive cost-control mechanisms.
