P2RX7 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Moreover, based on the potential involvement of eATP and P2X7 in COPD pathogenesis, during these last years the effect of AZD9056, a P2X7 antagonist which is able to bind the human P2X7 receptor with high selectivity and specificity and developed for the treatment of inflammatory conditions (i.e rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease), was studied in Phase 2 clinical trials in patients with moderate to severe COPD [75].