COPD Patients’ Needs and Current Treatment Options

Abstract

The objective of this meeting was to review the complexities surrounding the management and treatment options for different populations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Bartolome Celli chaired the symposium and outlined some of the current challenges for COPD management. Donald Tashkin discussed clinical assessment of the newly-diagnosed COPD patient, before moving on to review the initial pharmacotherapy options that are available, specifically the long-acting beta or muscarinic agonists. Claus Vogelmeier presented the options for COPD patients who remain symptomatic despite initial treatment, using data from clinical trials such as SPARK to compare different treatment approaches, and Jadwiga Wedzicha focused on higher-risk patients, presenting pertinent data from studies on patients with increased rates of COPD exacerbation. Finally, Bartolome Celli summarised the meeting and provided his expert insight on classifying COPD patients into phenotypic groups.