Budesonide / Formoterol in Treatment of Exacerbations of COPD

Effects of High Dose Inhaled Budesonide+ Formoterol Versus Placebo and Oral Prednisolone on Biomarkers of Airway Inflammation in the Treatment of Exacerbations in Non-hospitalised Patients With Mild to Moderate COPD.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the budesonide+formoterol combination is effective in the treatment of exacerbations of COPD with a main emphasis on investigating the effects on inflammation and a secondary emphasis on clinical efficacy

Inclusion Criteria:

• smoking-induced COPD according to ATS criteria
• FEV1 <85% of predicted at enrolment and <70% of predicted but > 0.7 Liter at Exacerbation
• FEV1/IVC ratio <88% of predicted for men and <89% for women

Exclusion Criteria:

• history of asthma
• known hypersensitivity to the study drugs
• serious concomitant diseases
• pregnancy or lactating
• abnormal Chest X-ray or blood gasses