Spiriva Problems May Boost Glaxo's Advair Drug

LONDON (Reuters) - Safety questions over the lung drug Spiriva, marketed by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim, may provide a boost for GlaxoSmithKline Plc's top-seller Advair (GSK.L), according to industry analysts.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said late on Tuesday that a meta-analysis of past clinical trials showed Spiriva may increase the risk of stroke, although the risk assessment was not yet conclusive.

Spiriva is used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Advair is also given for COPD but is typically used second line, once the condition progresses after Spiriva treatment.

"Potential safety concerns over Spiriva could facilitate earlier Advair use in less severe patients," Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a note.

However, Spiriva is not expected to be pulled from the market and the brokerage said the worst-case scenario for the product was probably a "black box" warning in its labeling. Advair has also suffered from safety problems in the past, which have hit the drug's growth in the asthma-treatment market.

Spanish drugmaker Almirall (ALM.MC) could also be affected by Spiriva's problems, since it has a similar drug in development called aclidinium bromide.

Morgan Stanley said it was too early to judge whether the Spiriva safety concern was linked to a drug class effect or whether there might be an opportunity for Almirall to differentiate its medicine.

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(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Quentin Bryar)