CHEST, Sunovion Initiative Focuses on COPD Therapy Delivery, Management

The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) and Sunovion presented their new joint initiative called Delivery Makes a Difference at the CHEST 2016 Annual Meeting Oct. 22-26 in Los Angeles.

Delivery Makes a Difference aims to increase awareness about the importance of drug delivery systems for diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), to better understand patient and healthcare provider practices, and to help match patients with proper medicines and delivery systems.

COPD refers to a handful of progressive lung diseases that worsen over time such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Symptoms can range from constant coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath, to excess production of mucus in the lungs, and an overall inability to breathe. Because of variable symptoms, drug delivery can produce different effects in different patients.

In August, Delivery Makes a Difference assembled a steering committee of nationally recognized COPD experts who created an ambitious survey of 1,000 patients and healthcare providers. The survey was geared to assess standard drug and device prescription practices and how patients and healthcare providers view them differently.

“When first-line treatments fail to achieve [its] desired effect, healthcare providers often prescribe additional medications, failing to consider that the way the medicine has been delivered may be a significant issue,” Nicola Hanania, MD, chair of the steering committee, said in a press release. “The Delivery Makes a Difference initiative hopes to provide important data to support the crucial step of choosing appropriate delivery devices for individual patients.”

Shored by the survey results, the initiative will work to develop educational materials that healthcare providers can use to support decisions regarding individual patient treatment approaches.

Complete results from the survey will be published and presented at upcoming scientific gatherings.

The presentation at CHEST 2016, delivered at a session titled “COPD: Delivery Makes a Difference,” included a program overview and information about the survey.

“The American College of Chest Physicians believes that a comprehensive approach to the patient’s needs is essential to optimal treatment of COPD,” said John Alexander, CHEST Enterprises’ president and director. “Great patient care extends beyond the molecule, considering patient ability, delivery systems and ongoing doctor [and] patient communication.”