Pharmaceutical giant Merck is buying Verona Pharma, a company that focuses on respiratory diseases, in an approximately $10 billion deal.

The deal gives Merck access to Verona Pharma’s new chronic obstructive pulmonary disease medication Ohtuvayre, which launched in August.

U.S. regulators approved the inhaled medication more than a year ago to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, in adults.

COPD is a progressive disease that can cause shortness of breath, coughing and other problems that make it hard to breathe, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is caused by damage to the airways or other parts of the lung and affects over 14 million U.S. adults. — Associated Press