By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : January 28, 2026 7:28 am
The approval expands the drug’s existing COPD indication, making it the only single-inhaler triple therapy (SITT) available for both respiratory conditions in China
Patients in China now have access to a once-daily inhaler therapy that could transform asthma management and improve long-term outcomes.
All thanks to pharma powerhouse GSK that has secured China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approval for Trelegy Ellipta to treat adults with asthma whose symptoms remain uncontrolled.
The approval expands the drug’s existing COPD indication, making it the only single-inhaler triple therapy (SITT) available for both respiratory conditions in China.
The decision comes as asthma affects roughly 46 million adults in China, with about half struggling with uncontrolled symptoms—putting them at heightened risk for exacerbations and reduced quality of life.
Approval was supported by GSK’s CAPTAIN study, which showed that in patients not adequately controlled on inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting beta agonists offered significant improvements in lung function.
Kaivan Khavandi, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Respiratory, Immunology and Inflammation R&D at GSK, said: "Early intervention with a single inhaler triple therapy can improve clinical outcomes for suitable patients with uncontrolled asthma.
"Today’s approval gives patients whose condition is not optimally managed, and therefore at increased risk of experiencing exacerbations, an important option in their care. As a company, we are committed to help change the course of disease and make clinical remission, where patients’ disease has sustained control, an ambitious but attainable treatment goal.”