Roflumilast (Daliresp), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor and anti-inflammatory agent that reduces swelling in the lungs, helps patients with COPD avoid severe exacerbations but may also reduce COPD rehospitalizations, according to research presented at ERS 2015 in Amsterdam.

In a new analysis, researchers estimated and then compared rates of severe exacerbation (generally defined as those leading to hospitalization and/or death) in patients with and without a history of hospitalization for COPD exacerbation.

In patients with a history of hospitalization, roflumilast reduced the rate of severe exacerbations by 34.9%. In patients with no history of hospitalization, the rate of reduction was 7.6%.