Anti-COPD initiative gets German funding

The Public Private Partnership (PPP) program of the Federal Germany Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development is co-financing the COPD Support Team Project of Boehringer Ingelheim (Phils.) Inc. to fight the smoker’s disease known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Air pollution and prevalent smoking in the Philippines have become alarming health hazards for its populace. Among the serious respiratory diseases caused by them, COPD is one of the most threatening.

In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has disclosed that COPD ranks seventh among the leading causes of death worldwide. By 2020, WHO projects COPD would rank fourth in the list of leading causes of disease burden in developing countries like the Philippines.

Addressing the COPD problem in the Philippines requires considerable improvements in its early detection and proper diagnosis. Public awareness on COPD has to be raised, while medical practitioners have to be trained on its proper diagnosis, such as differentiating it from asthma, which exhibits similar symptoms, and provided with adequate diagnostic tools.

Under the PPP program, Boehringer Ingelheim (Phils.) will assign up to 30 respiratory therapists equipped with mobile spirometry equipment to train 750 general physicians to diagnose up to 65,000 suspected COPD patients all over the country in the next two years.

Besides the diagnosis, COPD education is another core activity of the project. Patients will receive counseling on the nature and proper management of their disease, while physicians will be given lectures on proper diagnosis and treatment of COPD.

Moreover, a massive education campaign will be mounted to reach the provinces through mass media publicity.

DEG and Boehringer expect the following specific results from the PPP program:

• Significantly improved countrywide awareness of COPD.

• Regular and improved information by publications and lectures to physicians.

• Education of patients and general practitioners on the nature and proper management of the disease.

• Substantial information supporting governmental policies in fighting COPD.

• Early detection of the disease and its management by more cost-effective treatment.

• Long-term reduction of late COPD complications for patients.

• Improvement of COPD patients’ health condition, for instance, ability to perform usual daily activities, and maintenance of their working power.

• Positive support to fundamental environment protection and care targets.

Education of physicians and patients, as well as provision of free diagnostic tests for thousands of patients, goes far beyond the usual marketing measure of a pharmaceutical company. Thus, DEG has made a financial contribution of 200,000 euros or 22 percent of the total expenses to be incurred for achieving the project’s objectives.