Coalition launches to improve respiratory healthcare post-Covid

A new international coalition has been launched by a range of pharmaceutical companies and organisations, aimed at transforming respiratory healthcare after the pandemic.

The International Respiratory Coalition has been launched by the European Respiratory Society (ERS), the Global Allergy and Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP), AstraZeneca, Amgen and leading respiratory clinicians.

It aims to support governments and healthcare systems in their recovery from Covid-19 by strengthening respiratory care. The Coalition will support the creation of national-level respiratory strategies that can help improve outcomes for people living with respiratory diseases. The Coalition will also look into building resilience in managing pandemics.

It’s thought that over 500 million people live with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis, with four million people dying prematurely every year due to these conditions.

During the pandemic, patients with chronic respiratory diseases that contracted Covid-19 were at a higher risk of hospitalisation. The Coalition believes that new approaches are now needed so that patients can better control their condition and ultimately help reduce hospitalisations and decrease pressure on healthcare systems.  

Marc Humbert, professor of Respiratory Medicine at the Université Paris-Saclay and incoming President of the ERS, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on human health and is revealing gaps in respiratory care that require urgent attention. The European Respiratory Society is excited to be a founding member of the International Respiratory Coalition, working to ensure better respiratory care is central to government and healthcare system recovery plans.”

Tonya Winders, president of GAAPP, said: “Nearly 600 million people worldwide live with chronic respiratory diseases. Unfortunately, few countries have national respiratory strategies to improve treatment and help patients control their disease and achieve better outcomes. The International Respiratory Coalition will play a critical role in addressing the longstanding under-prioritisation of chronic respiratory diseases within healthcare systems in the year ahead.”

Ruud Dobber, executive vice president, BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit of AstraZeneca, added: “The International Respiratory Coalition has an important opportunity to reduce morbidity and mortality in respiratory disease while building healthcare system resilience. AstraZeneca has been committed to advancing respiratory science and care for more than 50 years and we are excited to contribute to this important initiative to support patients who are underserved today.”

Darryl Sleep, senior vice president, global medical and chief medical officer of Amgen, said: “While Covid-19 exposed the staggering health disparities and disproportionate burden on racial and ethnic minorities and other groups historically underserved by healthcare systems, these same communities have long felt the negative impact of respiratory disease. This partnership with the International Respiratory Coalition will help Amgen in our mission to serve patients, which includes working within communities to remove the barriers that prevent patients from living their healthiest lives.”