OBJECTIVES: A new single inhaler triple therapy to treat COPD patients, BGF, became available in France since 09/21. Analysis to describe characteristics of patients initiating BGF according to the prescriber: pulmonologist (PN) or General Practitioner (GP).

METHODS: Retrospective observational study using the real-world ambulatory medicalized database THIN®, GDPR compliant. Analysis conducted on patients with an history of ≥ 1 year in THIN® before initiation of BGF by a panelist (PN or GP).

RESULTS: Between 09/21 and 06/23, 248 patients, fulfilling the criteria, were initiated with BGF: 161 patients initiated by a PN (65%) and 87 by a GP (35%). Patients were 69 years old and 55% were male. The most common comorbidities were asthma (45.6%), sleep disorders (32.7%), hypertension (31.5%) and anxiety (19.8%).

Prior to initiating BGF, 42.9% of patients were treated with free or fixed triple therapy (33.7% by GP vs 47.8% by PN), 44.9% with dual therapy (47.7% by GP vs 43.4% by PN), 10.6% with monotherapy (16.3% by GP vs 7.5% by PN) and 1.6% did not have maintenance treatment (2.3% by GP vs 1.3% by PN). Within 1 year before BGF initiation, 74.6% of patients had ≥ 1 moderate or severe exacerbation (66.7% vs 78.9% for patients managed by GP and PN respectively); 62.9% of patients had ≥ 1 severe and/or ≥ 2 moderate exacerbations (60.9% vs 64.0% for patients managed by GP and PN respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results indicate that the initiation of BGF is similar between GPs and NPs, particularly with regard to previous inhaled treatment and exacerbations in the year preceding initiation.