Glycopyrrolate/formoterol fumarate MDI in mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PIONEER): a protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Summary: People with early-stage COPD (a lung disease that makes it hard to breathe) often lose their lung power quickly, but they rarely get treated right away. The PIONEER study wants to see if starting an inhaler early on can help. Doctors will test a daily inhaler called GFF against a fake inhaler (placebo) in about 318 patients for one year. They will check to see if the real inhaler keeps the lungs working better and stops the disease from getting worse. This is just the plan for the study, so we don't have the results yet!