A 12 Week Study of QVA149 Compared to Fluticasone/Salmeterol (Advair) for Treatment of COPD

A 12-week Treatment, Multi-center, Randomized, Double-blind, Double-dummy, Parallel-group Study to Assess the Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of QVA149 Compared to Fluticasone/Salmeterol in COPD Patients With Moderate to Severe Airflow Limitation

Study is to show that QVA149 is superior to the standard of care, fluticasone/salmeterol, in patients with moderate to severe airflow limitation

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age >= 40 years, patients with airflow limitation indicated by post-bronchdilation FEV1 >=30% and <80% of predicted normal, current or ex-smokers with a 10 pack year smoking history, patients with a mMRC grade 2 or greater

Exclusion Criteria:

• prolonged QTCF >450 ms, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, Type I or uncontrolled Type II diabetes, history of asthma, COPD diagnosis before age 40, receiving treatments not allowed in the study, other concomitant pulmonary diseases.

Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply.