Swiss Drug maker Novartis is seeking U.S. regulatory approval for two drugs to treat smoker’s cough. The new drug has a market potential of $1.4 billion annually.

Positive results were obtained in the third-phase clinical tests for QVA149 and NVA237 for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, or smoker’s cough.

COPD kills a person every ten seconds and will become the third highest cause of mortality by the year 2030, as per a report by the WHO. Characteristic features of COPD include breathlessness, excess saliva, mucus in the airways and chronic cough. In addition to these symptoms pain in the chest, wheezing and crackling sound while breathing could also be seen in some patients

The new drugs will be pitted against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)’s Anoro and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s Spiriva. However Novartis drug could be at a disadvantage because of its twice daily dosage as compared to once daily dosage of both Anoro and Spiriva.