IRC Post-Summit Statement and Next Steps
19/07/2022
The International Respiratory Coalition was founded by the European Respiratory Society, the European Lung Foundation, the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform, AstraZeneca, Amgen, the Chiesi Group, and GlaxoSmithKline in September 2021. The IRC aims to support the transformation of post-pandemic respiratory healthcare and reduce deaths from respiratory disease by 1/3 globally by 2030.
IRC Inaugural Summit
On 28–29 June 2022, the founding partners convened respiratory disease stakeholders worldwide at a special summit in Paris, France. The Summit aimed to explore how to transform the care for patients with respiratory diseases after the COVID pandemic. GAAPP’s President Tonya Winders was a featured presenter.
Building Coalitions
The IRC will support the formation of national groups to support the creation and updating of national respiratory strategies. These groups should comprise multisectoral organizations and individuals capable of assessing the current environment, identifying and setting ambitious improvement goals, and developing aligned interventions and a roadmap for their delivery. As needed, the IRC will support countries by working directly with participating national coalitions. In addition, the IRC will identify individuals to become official IRC Ambassadors – people who champion the initiative by increasing the visibility of the Coalition’s goals. Europe will serve as the initial IRC model. If validated, the IRC will expand the model into additional regions of the world in late 2023.
Building the Case for Change
Up-to-date evidence on the burden of respiratory diseases on patients, health systems, and economies is vital to effective advocacy for change. The IRC is working with the School of Health and Related Research to meet this need. Together, they will release an online web resource at the ERS International Congress in September 2022. The resource “Lung Facts” provides epidemiological data for European countries.
Position Paper and Policymaking
The IRC will develop a position paper on the contents of a best-practice national strategy. Furthermore, it will engage relevant supranational policymakers and other actors, including the media, to raise awareness of their case.
