Hahn B, et al. - In this retrospective study, researchers sought to characterize chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients initiating treatment with the long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) tiotropium (TIO) and the fixed-dose LAMA/long-acting &beta₂-agonist (LABA) combination therapy umeclidinium/vilanterol (UMEC/VI). They also compared rates of escalation to triple therapy (TT, combining a LAMA, LABA, and inhaled corticosteroid) between patients receiving these therapies. Study participants were COPD patients enrolled in a US health insurance plan during 2013–2015 and newly initiated on TIO or UMEC/VI. In new TIO users vs in new UMEC/VI users, significantly higher rate of TT initiation were noted after propensity score matching. Overall, relative to patients receiving TIO, patients receiving UMEC/VI progressed to TT more slowly, and were at lower risk of progressing to TT.