Adults with COPD in Short-Term Trials (12 weeks)
The safety data described below for adults ≥35 years of age are based on 2 clinical trials of 12 weeks. In the 2 trials of 12 weeks duration, 1,456 patients (860 males and 596 females, ages 34 to 89 years old) with COPD were treated with Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily, 25 mcg twice daily, 50 mcg once daily, salmeterol 42 mcg twice daily, or placebo. The racial/ethnic distribution in these two trials included 1,383 Caucasians, 49 Blacks, 10 Asians, and 10 Hispanics, and 4 patients classified as Other.
Among the 1,456 COPD patients in two 12-week, placebo-controlled trials, 288 were treated with Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily and 293 were treated with placebo. Doses of 25 mcg twice daily and 50 mcg once daily were also evaluated.
Table 1 shows adverse reaction rates among patients from these two trials where the frequency was greater than or equal to 2% in the Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily group and where the rate in the Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily group exceeded the rate in the placebo group. The total number and percent of patients who reported adverse events were 202 (70%) in the 15 mcg twice daily and 219 (75%) in the placebo groups. Ten adverse events demonstrated a dose relationship: asthenia, fever, bronchitis, COPD, headache, vomiting, hyperkalemia, leukocytosis, nervousness, and tremor.
Table 1: Number of Patients Experiencing Adverse Events from Two 12-Week, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials |
| Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily | Placebo |
| n | (%) | n | (%) |
| Total Patients | 288 | (100) | 293 | (100) |
| Pain | 23 | (8) | 16 | (5) |
| Chest Pain | 19 | (7) | 19 | (6) |
| Back Pain | 16 | (6) | 6 | (2) |
| Diarrhea | 16 | (6) | 13 | (4) |
| Sinusitis | 13 | (5) | 11 | (4) |
| Leg Cramps | 12 | (4) | 6 | (2) |
| Dyspnea | 11 | (4) | 7 | (2) |
| Rash | 11 | (4) | 5 | (2) |
| Flu Syndrome | 10 | (3) | 4 | (1) |
| Peripheral Edema | 8 | (3) | 7 | (2) |
| Lung Disorder* | 7 | (2) | 2 | (1) |
Adverse events occurring in patients treated with Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily with a frequency of <2%, but greater than placebo, were as follows:
Body as a Whole: abscess, allergic reaction, digitalis intoxication, fever, hernia, injection site pain, neck rigidity, neoplasm, pelvic pain, retroperitoneal hemorrhage
Cardiovascular: arteriosclerosis, atrial flutter, AV block, congestive heart failure, heart block, myocardial infarct, QT interval prolonged, supraventricular tachycardia, inverted T-wave
Digestive: constipation, gastritis, melena, oral moniliasis, periodontal abscess, rectal hemorrhage
Metabolic and Nutritional Disorders: dehydration, edema, glucose tolerance decreased, gout, hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, hypoglycemia, hypokalemia
Musculoskeletal: arthralgia, arthritis, bone disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, tendinous contracture
Nervous: agitation, cerebral infarct, circumoral paresthesia, hypokinesia, paralysis, somnolence, tremor
Respiratory: carcinoma of the lung, respiratory disorder, voice alteration
Skin and Appendages: dry skin, herpes simplex, herpes zoster, skin discoloration, skin hypertrophy
Special Senses: abnormal vision, glaucoma
Urogenital: breast neoplasm, calcium crystalluria, cystitis, glycosuria, hematuria, kidney calculus, nocturia, PSA increase, pyuria, urinary tract disorder, urine abnormality.
In these trials, the overall frequency of all cardiovascular adverse events was 6.9% in Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily and 13.3% in the placebo group. There were no frequently occurring specific cardiovascular adverse events for Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution (frequency ≥1% and greater than placebo). The rate of COPD exacerbations was also comparable between the Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution 15 mcg twice daily and placebo groups, 12.2% and 15.1%, respectively.