Extrafine triple therapy in patients with symptomatic COPD and history of one moderate exacerbation

In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), exacerbation history is the strongest predictor of future exacerbation risk. Large cohort studies have shown that patients with one exacerbation in the previous year have an approximately two-fold increased future exacerbation risk compared to patients with no exacerbations, the risk increasing to five-fold in those with two or more exacerbations. Most clinical trials of pharmacological treatments designed to prevent exacerbations have therefore used the inclusion criterion of at least one exacerbation in the previous year, with a minority requiring at least two exacerbations.