Research progress in drugs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease therapy / 药学实践杂志

ABSTRACT

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by incompletely reversible airflow limitation and progressive course.The pathogenesis of COPD is complicated.Clinical symptoms include declining pulmonary function, airway and lung inflammation, cough, emaciation, low activity and so on.In the past, the medications for COPD treatment were mainly bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory drugs.With the better understanding of its pathogenesis, anti-oxidative drugs have also been used in the clinical treatment of COPD recently.This article reviews the development of drugs which include bronchodilators, anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-oxidative drugs for the therapy of COPD.