This study assessed the safety/tolerability of 28 days of treatment with NVA237 100 µg and 200 µg once a day, compared to placebo in patients with moderate or severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female adults aged 40 years or older
• Patients with moderate to severe COPD according to the GOLD Guidelines (2006)
• Patients who have smoking history of at least 10 pack years
• Patients with a post-bronchodilator Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second (FEV1) equal or greater than 30% of the predicted normal value and less than 80% of the predicted normal value, and post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC less than 0.7 at visit 2
• Written informed consent by the patient prior to initiation of any study-related procedure

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients requiring oxygen therapy on a daily basis for chronic hypoxemia, or who have been hospitalized for an exacerbation of their airways disease in the 6 weeks prior to visit 1 or during the screening period (up to visit 3).
• Patients who have had a respiratory tract infection within 6 weeks prior to visit 1 or during the screening period (up to visit 3).
• Patients with a history of asthma indicated by (but not limited to):

Blood eosinophil count > 400/mm3, onset of symptoms prior to age 40 years.

• Patients with a history of long QT syndrome or whose QTc measured at visit 1 is prolonged (more than 440 ms for males or more than 460 ms for females).
• Patients with a history of untoward reactions to sympathomimetic amines or inhaled medication or any component thereof.
• Patients who, in the judgment of the investigator have a clinically relevant laboratory abnormality or a clinically significant condition such as (but not limited to) unstable ischemic heart disease, left ventricular failure, long term prednisone therapy, history of myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, narrow-angle glaucoma, symptomatic prostatic hyperplasia, bladder-neck obstruction or moderate to severe renal impairment that might compromise patient safety or compliance, interfere with evaluation, or preclude completion of the study.
• History of malignancy of any organ system, treated or untreated, within the past 5 years whether or not there is evidence of local recurrence or metastases, with the exception of localized basal cell carcinoma of the skin.

Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply