User:Mr. Ibrahem/Tiotropium

Tiotropium, sold under the brand name Spiriva among others, is a long-acting bronchodilator used in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Specifically it is used to try to prevent periods of worsening rather than for those periods themselves. It is used by inhalation through the mouth. Onset typically begins within half an hour and lasts for 24 hours.

Common side effects include a dry mouth, runny nose, upper respiratory tract infection, shortness of breath and headache. Severe side effects may include angioedema, worsening bronchospasm, and QT prolongation. Tentative evidence has not found harm during pregnancy, however, such use has not been well studied. It is an anticholinergic medication and works by blocking acetylcholine action on smooth muscle.

Tiotropium was patented in 1989, and approved for medical use in 2002. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. In the United States the wholesale cost was about US$14 per dose as of 2019. In the United Kingdom a dose costs the NHS about 0.86 pounds as of 2019. In 2017, it was the 82nd most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than nine million prescriptions. There is no generic version available in the United States as of 2019.