A 24 Week, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo Controlled, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of 18 MCG of Tiotropium Inhalation Capsules Administered by HandiHaler Once-daily Plus PRN Albuterol (Salbutamol) vs. Placebo Plus PRN Albuterol (Salbutamol) in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Subjects Naive to Maintenance Therapy

Inclusion criteria:

All subjects must have a diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) according to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (GOLD) guideline criteria:

post-bronchodilator Forced Expiratory Volume in one Second/Forced Vital Capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio \< 70% (visit 1).

Subjects must be GOLD Stage II and have a post-bronchodilator FEV1 \>50% and \< 80% of predicted normal (visit 1). Subjects must be current or ex-smokers with a smoking history of \>=10 pack years.

Subjects must have a Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea score \>= 2.

Exclusion criteria:

Subjects who have been treated with maintenance medications for chronic respiratory disease within six months prior to screening.

Subjects with significant diseases other than COPD. Subjects on chronic systemic corticosteroids.

Subjects with any upper and/or lower respiratory tract infection or COPD exacerbation in the 6 weeks prior to the initial visit 1 or during the screening period prior to visit 3 Subjects with a recent (past 6 months) myocardial infarction, any unstable or life threatening cardiac arrhythmia requiring intervention or change in drug therapy during the last year; or who have been hospitalized for cardiac failure during the past year.