Sponsored by and made possible with support from GSK.
Breathing is something most of us take for granted, but many Canadians struggle with this simple act every day. Nearly 3.8 million Canadians live with asthma, while 2 million live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These diseases have a significant impact on patients, their friends and families, and the health care system.
“Too many Canadians are living with lung disease that’s poorly managed, and it contributes to a lower quality of life,” explains George Habib, president and CEO of The Lung Association.
A patient-centric approach
For 50 years, GSK has been an industry leader in transforming the treatment of asthma, COPD and other respiratory diseases. In 1969 GSK developed the world’s first selective short-acting beta agonist, which saw a change in the way people with respiratory conditions were treated. Since then GSK has developed treatments approved across every stage of asthma and COPD, allowing healthcare professionals to provide treatment options tailored to individual patient needs.
“We simply can’t take a cookie-cutter approach when it comes to meeting the needs of patients with COPD and asthma,” says Dr. Alex Romanovschi, MD, country medical director at GSK Canada.
“Research tells us that understanding more about the role of biomarkers — molecules, genes or characteristics belonging to every person — is at the heart of knowing more about the underlying causes of asthma and COPD. And if we have a better understanding of the underlying causes, we can potentially target the right treatment.”
We simply can’t take a cookie-cutter approach when it comes to meeting the needs of patients with COPD and asthma.
Dr. Alex Romanovschi, GSK Canada
About GSK
In 2017 alone, GSK in Canada invested over $65 million to R&D. GSK Canada has also established 22 Research Chairs in Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy at Canadian universities and sponsored some 30 Canadian research projects.
In 2018 GSK invested over $15 million into 54 active clinical trials across Canada involving 2,793 active subjects.
“Working in collaboration with the scientific community to research innovative medicines aimed at helping patients and health care providers better understand, assess and manage respiratory diseases will continue to be a key focus area for GSK as we build on our foundation of the last 50 years,” said Dr. Romanovschi.
