Novartis AG wants to patent two drugs to treat smoker’s cough, which could boost sales by $1.4 billion for the Swiss company, and has filed for U.S. regulatory approval.

Third-phase clinical tests for the drugs, QVA149 and NVA237, had positive results for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) — also known as smoker’s cough — Novartis said in a statement, according to a Bloomberg report.

They made the filing in the fourth quarter of last year.

Meanwhile, the patents for existing drugs — such as GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Advair — are starting to reach their expiration date. COPD causes a death every 10 seconds, and is expected to be come the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030, the World Health Organization states.

Symptoms include excessive salive, breathlessness, blockage of the airways by mucus, and a chronic cough.

Applying for approval may be risky for Novartis as they are pushing for a patent as a twice-daily treatment, which could put them at a disadvantage to the once-daily treatments that are out there from GSK, which makes Anoro, and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, which produces Spiriva, according to financial firm Barclays.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had delayed the arrival of the drugs into the U.S., arguing that they needed more trials to address safety concerns, although they were already approved in Europe for once-daily treatments. The company believes it can generate $1.4 billion in sales from the drugs by 2017.

The announcement boosted shares of Vectura, who Novartis licensed NVA237 from, by 3.7 percent. The company will receive $20 million in payments if the FDA approves the filing.

Novartis is the largest drugmaker in the world. Its market value rose 2.9 percent on the news.