Anoro Ellipta (umeclidinium and vilanterol inhalation powder) is now available by prescription in US retail pharmacies, according to a news announcement by manufacturers GlaxoSmithKline and Theravance Inc. Anoro Ellipta is the first once-daily product approved in the US that combines two long-acting bronchodilators in a single inhaler for the maintenance treatment of COPD, the companies said.

The product is a combination anticholinergic/long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (anticholinergic/LABA) indicated for the long-term, once-daily, maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with COPD, including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema.

The product was approved by the FDA in December 2013. The FDA-approved strength is umeclidinium/vilanterol 62.5/25mcg.

“We understand that COPD is a progressive disease affecting an estimated 27 million people in the US alone,” said Jorge Bartolome, Senior Vice President of the GSK Respiratory Business Unit in the US. “Anoro Ellipta is an important treatment option for appropriate patients with COPD, and we are proud to make it available in the US.”

The Anoro Ellipta release comes on the heels of GSK’s and Theravance’s launch of Breo Ellipta in October. Breo Ellipta is a once-daily ICS/LABA combo for the treatment of COPD.

[Read more: COPD Treatment Breo Ellipta Now Available in US]

“We are very pleased that Anoro Ellipta, the latest combination medicine to be developed as a result of our partnership with GSK, is now available in the US,” said Rick E Winningham, CEO of Theravance. “We believe this product will add to the choice of treatment options available to healthcare physicians when considering how to help meet the needs of their patients.”

Full US Prescribing Information for Anoro Ellipta, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, is available at us.gsk.com.