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Inhalers Risky, Study Says

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The Associated Press

Published: September 24, 2008

CHICAGO - Inhaler drugs used by millions of people with emphysema and bronchitis may slightly raise the risk for heart attacks and even death, a study suggests.

The results aren't conclusive and inhalers provide significant relief for these patients struggling to breathe. But the study authors urged doctors to closely monitor patients who use the inhalers.

Most affected patients have both emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The study's increased risks were small, and the drugs' marketer said both medicines are safe. The drugs are tiotropium, sold as Spiriva Handihaler by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and ipratropium, available generically and also sold by Boehringer under the brand name Atrovent.

Spiriva, approved in 2004, and the decade-old Atrovent are used once or more daily to relax muscles and open lung airways. They've been used by 8 million patients worldwide.

A Veterans Affairs study published last week linked ipratropium with an increased risk for heart-related deaths in men.

The new study appears in the current edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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