GlaxoSmithKline's COPD drug Anoro receives European green light

[February 20, 2014]  LONDON (Reuters) — Anoro, a combination drug for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Theravance, has received the green light from European regulators, the companies said on Thursday.

The drug is a combination of UMEC, a long-acting muscarinic antagonist, and VI, a long-acting beta agonist, in a single inhaler. It is expected to generate sales of more than $2 billion a year by 2018, according to the average estimate of six analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

Recommendations for marketing approval from the European Medicines Agency are usually followed by the granting of full marketing authorization by the European Commission.

The companies said they expected that decision during the second quarter of 2014.

The drug, in a different strength formulation, was approved by regulators in the United States and Canada in December 2013.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle, editing by Sarah Young)

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