BRACKNELL, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For UK media only
Today, on World COPD Day 2015, Boehringer Ingelheim is making Twitter #COUGH to raise awareness of this chronic lung disease.
As the world #COUGHs to raise awareness of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), the hashtag will produce a noisy spike in tweets, simulating the sound wave of a COPD sufferer’s chronic cough – a key symptom of the disease.
“Boehringer Ingelheim is calling on Twitter users to help raise awareness of COPD.” said Professor Klaus Dugi, Medical Director and Managing Director UK & Ireland, Boehringer Ingelheim “We want to highlight the importance of supporting people living with this life-changing condition while also addressing and tackling the problem of late diagnosis and misdiagnosis, which can impact life expectancy and dramatically affect the quality of life of people affected by COPD.”
Other organisations, including the British Lung Foundation, are also getting involved in the campaign to help raise awareness.
COPD affects an estimated 210 million people globally3 and the World Health Organization believes it will be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.1 In the UK it is estimated 3 million people are currently living with COPD, yet approximately only 900,000 are diagnosed2.
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About COPD
Evidence suggests that decline is most rapid in the initial phases of COPD, supporting the idea that early interventions may slow the progression of the life-threatening disease.4,5 Therefore, a heightened awareness of COPD is key, in order to encourage the millions of sufferers as yet undiagnosed2 to seek help as soon as possible, providing them with the opportunity to lead a longer and better quality of life.4,5
COPD costs the NHS more than £800 million each year6, with each patient’s COPD management costing £2,108 per year, excluding medications.7 Furthermore, lost productivity due to COPD has been calculated at £3.8 billion.8
About Boehringer Ingelheim
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim operates globally with 146 affiliates and a total of more than 47,700 employees. The focus of the family-owned company, founded in 1885, is researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.
Social responsibility is an important element of the corporate culture at Boehringer Ingelheim. This includes worldwide involvement in social projects, such as the initiative “Making more Health” and caring for the employees. Respect, equal opportunities and reconciling career and family form the foundation of the mutual cooperation. In everything it does, the company focuses on environmental protection and sustainability.
In 2014, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 13.3 billion euros. R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.9 per cent of its net sales.
For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com.
REFERENCES
1. WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS). World Health Statistics. 2008. Available at: http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/EN_WHS08_Full.pdf [last accessed: November 2015]
2. Healthcare Commission (2006) Clearing the air: a national study of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. London: Healthcare Commission.
3. World Health Organization. Global Alliance Against Chronic Respiratory Diseases. 2008. Available at: http://www.who.int/gard/publications/Istanbul_report_final.pdf [last accessed: November 2015]
4. Tantucci T, Modina D. Lung function decline in COPD. International J. COPD. 2012; 7: 95-99
5. Csikesz N G & Gartman E J. New developments in the assessment of COPD: early diagnosis is key. International J. COPD. 2014; 9: 277–286
6. COPD care in the North West of England. Aqua Analytics. 2014.
7. Punekar Y S, et al. COPD management costs according to the frequency of COPD exacerbations in UK primary care. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2014; 9: 65–73.
8. An Outcomes strategy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD and Asthma in England. NICE, 2011.
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