Astra's Pulmicort Protects Heart in Copd Study

LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca Plc's inhaled corticosteroid drug Pulmicort may help reduce heart attacks and angina in patients with "smoker's lung," or COPD, researchers said on Monday.

A new analysis of a previous 1,175-patient study found that of 49 patients who experienced adverse cardio-ischemic events, 37 percent were on the drug and 63 percent on placebo.

This suggests chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is more than just a respiratory disease and that doctors should evaluate not only airflow but also cardiovascular outcomes, said Professor Claes-Goran Lofdahl of Lund University, Sweden, who conducted the analysis.

"The study shows that, potentially, cardiovascular events in COPD patients could be significantly reduced if an inhaled corticosteroid is prescribed," he told the European Respiratory Society congress in Copenhagen.

Lofdahl said the mechanism of action was unclear but it could be that steroid drugs like Pulmicort, whose chemical name is budesonide, might reduce inflammation linked to heart problems as well as lung disorders.

Inhaled steroids are widely used in treating patients with COPD, alongside bronchodilators.