Chiesi Group brings together experts to discuss care for respiratory patients and presents a new treatment option for COPD at ERS Congress

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is the third leading cause of death in the world, causing 300,000 annual deaths in Europe¹
• At the European Respiratory Society Congress, Chiesi Group presents an additional option to address the needs of COPD patients: Chiesi’s extrafine triple combination therapy delivered through a Dry Powder Inhaler device
• Chiesi Group has organised three symposia at the Congress, focusing on improving care for people living with COPD and asthma

Barcelona, Spain, September 5 2022 – At the 2022 European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Barcelona, Chiesi Group, the international research-focused biopharmaceutical, and healthcare group, is focusing on ways in which we can improve the care for people living with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

At the congress, Chiesi is presenting a new treatment option for adult patients with moderate to severe COPD who are not adequately treated with existing alternatives. They can now benefit from the availability of Chiesi’s extrafine triple combination therapy delivered through a Dry Powder Inhaler (DPI) device. Chiesi strengthens its commitment to the care of COPD patients by making the therapy available in DPI as well as in pressurised Metered-Dose Inhaler (pMDI) devices to best meet individual patients’ needs. The innovation aims to relieve the burden of disease in the day-to-day life of patients.

Alessandro Chiesi, Chief Commercial Officer at Chiesi Group said, “Our research is not driven by short-term profitability goals, but by patients’ long-term needs. People with chronic respiratory diseases deserve to lead a life that is not fully affected by their disease. Patients know the physical and emotional weight of their illnesses, for this reason, they are the most suitable for proposing and evaluating the situations they face every day, inside and outside the hospital, and we are integrating their voices to continuously improve and evolve the treatments that should serve them to live active and fulfilling lives.”

Experts discuss how to better care for respiratory patients

As a Congress sponsor, Chiesi brings together international expertise regarding the management of chronic respiratory diseases that will be addressed at the three company-sponsored symposia:

• Tailoring treatment for uncontrolled asthmatic patients: from theory to practice, 5 September at 8:00: With experts from Germany, Brazil and Belgium, this session will cover issues related to aiming for asthma remission and disease modification, tailoring treatments in moderate to severe asthma, and identifying asthma patients who profit from dual and triple therapy.
• Global access to spirometry project (GASP): a pathway to asthma and COPD management in low and middle income countries (LMICs), 5 September at 13:00: This meeting will focus on GASP case studies from Guyana and Peru with Chiesi presenting its commitment to respiratory care, the Chiesi Foundation’s work to improve quality of life of patients and their families in LMICs.
• Can we do more for our COPD patients? New frontiers in clinical care, 6 September at 13:00: This symposium will discuss new roads towards COPD prevention, earlier diagnosis and treatment, an identity card to effectively detect a COPD exacerbation, and navigating the options of inhalers to ensure the most suitable match for patients.

COPD awareness campaign

In addition to these activities, Chiesi wants to bring the spotlight people’s own and unique stories. The campaign “We are our stories” shares the personal journeys of people living with COPD, understanding that every person lives the disease differently. In this way, Barcelona becomes a stage to shed a light on the reality of living with COPD from an empathetic approach towards the patients physical and emotional struggles.

The burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

COPD is a respiratory disease characterized by persistent bronchial obstruction, associated with an increased chronic inflammatory response of the airways to noxious particles or gas. This condition results in dyspnoea, chronic cough and chronic productive, and other complications that include frequent respiratory infections, weight loss and fatigue. Consequently, an overall inability to perform regular activities becomes the daily reality for people suffering from COPD.[1]

COPD is the third leading cause of death in the world, causing 300,000 deaths in Europe each year[2] with moderate to severe COPD affects 5-10% of the adult population aged 40 years or older. There is also direct and indirect evidence that climate change negatively affects lung health and is worsening the health of patients with COPD and asthma.[3]^,[4] Deaths among people with pre-existing chronic conditions like COPD and asthma increase during heatwaves, and mortality from heatwaves has increased by 53.7% in those aged 65+ in the last 20 years.[5]^,[6]

Therefore, due to climate change and the aging population, the incidence of COPD is expected to increase in both industrialized and developing countries.[7]

More information about the GASP project  

The Chiesi Foundation has supported GASP – Global Access to Spirometry Project since 2014 to improve international cooperation in the respiratory health field.  

The GASP is a project provides medical training in the respiratory area in low-resource countries. It is focused on the development of specific clinical skills for the diagnosis and management of chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), through the introduction of spirometry capacity and training activities.  

About Chiesi Group 

Chiesi is an international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company’s mission is to improve people’s quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.  

By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, and France, Chiesi’s commitment to create shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. Since 2019, Chiesi is the world’s largest biopharmaceutical group to be certified B Corp, meaning that its sustainability efforts are measured and assessed by the most ambitious global standards. The company aims at becoming net-zero by 2035.  

With over 85 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), operates in 30 countries, and counts more than 6,000 employees. The Group’s research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden. 

For further information please visit www.chiesi.com 

Contacts for media: 

Carla Arrieta Martinez 

Head of Global External Communication & Media Relations 

Tel:       +39 340 8879754 

Email     c.arrieta@chiesi.com  

Alessio Pappagallo 

Press Office Manager 

Tel:       +39 339 5897483  

Email      a.pappagallo@chiesi.com 

[1] R. Kessler et al. Symptom variability in patients with severe COPD: a pan-European cross-sectional study. European Respiratory Journal. 2011; 37:264-272.

[2] European Lung Foundation. COPD. Available at: https://www.europeanlung.org/en/lung-disease-and-information/lung-diseases/copd.

[3] The Economist Intelligence Unit. Climate Change and its impact on lung health: a focus on Europe. September 2021. Available at: https://impact.economist.com/sustainability/social-sustainability/climate-change-and-its-impact-on-lung-health-a-focus-on-europe.

[4] Lancet Countdown. The 2020 report. December 2020. Available at: www.lancetcountdown.org/2020-report.

[5] Chiesi Group. Climate crisis to deliver substantial death toll if left un-checked. September 2021. Available at: https://actionoverwords.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Chiesi_EIU-Infographic.pdf.

[6] Chiesi Group. Climate change – A major threat to respiratory health in Europe says new report from Economist Intelligence Unit. September 2021. Available at: https://www.chiesi.com/en/climate-change-n-a-major-threat-to-respiratory-health-in-europe-says-new-report-from-economist-intelligence-unit-/.

[7] World Health Organization. COPD. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd).