GlaxoSmithKline picks up FDA approval for its latest COPD contender

Adding to its string of respiratory victories, GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) won an FDA nod for Incruse Ellipta, a once-daily COPD inhaler. The drug's active ingredient is umeclidinium, a long-acting muscarinic antagonist that makes up one half of the expected blockbuster Anoro Ellipta. Unlike its predecessor, Incruse was developed without the aid of longtime respiratory partner Theravance ($THRX), and GSK expects to launch the drug in the U.S. in the fourth quarter. More