BOEHRINGER-INGELHEIM

Boehringer Ingelheim today announced the launch of the Your Time campaign – a worldwide call to raise public awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the importance of acting now. By diagnosing and optimally managing the disease earlier it’s still possible to make a real difference to patients’ lives. Despite the disease affecting 210 million people worldwide⁵ and being responsible for twice as many deaths as diabetes,⁶ it is little known or talked about. By the time most people know they have COPD, they will have already lost around 50% of their lung function^2,3 – and urgent, optimal management is necessary. Identifying and optimally managing COPD in the early stages has the potential to slow the progression of the disease⁴ and may give patients the best opportunity of living a better life for longer. The Your Time campaign echoes the context of this year’s World COPD Day (18 November 2015), organised by GOLD^* around the theme “It’s Not Too Late ”.⁷

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“COPD has significant physical and emotional impacts on patients. Both patients and healthcare professionals need to be alert to the early signs of COPD, when much of the damage to a patient’s lungs occurs. When COPD is first suspected, I would like to see the same sense of urgency as we give to the first signs of cancer,” said Dr. Richard Russell, consultant respiratory physician, Lymington New Forest Hospital, Hampshire and Senior Clinical Researcher, University of Oxford.

“Increasing awareness of the condition, and the need to tackle it early, is both urgent and important. Effective, early management could mean that people with COPD are more able to maintain a normal active life - such as walking upstairs without stopping, going out to socialise with family and friends or finding it easier to continue doing the things that they enjoy,” Dr Russell continued.

COPD is not only a personal challenge but also a growing challenge for public health. It is the only major cause of death where incidence is increasing and the World Health Organization (WHO) predict that by 2030 COPD will be the 3^rd leading cause of death worldwide¹ - exceeded only by heart diseases and stroke. In Europe, the annual costs of healthcare and lost productivity due to COPD are estimated as €48.4 billion euros.⁸

Find out more about the Your Time campaign at www.yourtimeCOPD.com

Making Twitter #COUGH

As part of a drive to raise awareness of COPD and the importance of identifying and diagnosing the disease early, on World COPD Day 2015 Boehringer Ingelheim is aiming to make Twitter #COUGH. As the world #COUGHs 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.

Look out for and share Tweets with #COUGH this World COPD Day, 18 November to raise awareness and encourage people to act now on COPD.

About COPD

COPD is a progressive, treatable but incurable lung disease. For people with COPD, lung damage causes breathlessness that makes it difficult to keep active and participate in life to the extent they would love to. This can lead to a ‘downward spiral’ of worsening symptoms and even further inactivity,⁹ contributing to an increased risk of disability and death.¹⁰ Optimal management to maintain patients’ quality of life has been shown to significantly reduce their likelihood of having an exacerbation (sudden worsening) of COPD symptoms or being admitted to hospital.^11,12

European COPD Coalition: Call to Action on COPD

Boehringer Ingelheim supports the European COPD Coalition’s Call to Action on COPD which seeks political impetus to put in place an EU COPD framework to improve the health and quality of life of European citizens, including persons at risk of, or affected by, COPD.

To find out more and sign the petition visit www.copdcoalition.eu

For ‘Notes to Editors’ and ‘References’ please visit:

http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/news/news_releases/press_releases/2015/17_november_2015_copd.html

More information

www.boehringer-ingelheim.com

^* Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151116006198/en/

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#YourTime launch calls for early action to make a real difference to life of #COPD #patients. www.yourtimeCOPD.com

Contact:

Boehringer Ingelheim
Corporate Communications
Media + PR
Dr Kristin Jakobs
Phone: +49 6132 77 144553
Fax: +49 6132 77 6601
Email: press@boehringer-ingelheim.com

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