Nov 15, 2017

Philips launches global education effort for World COPD Day

In collaboration with Australian COPD patient Russell Winwood and the COPD foundation, this campaign focuses on helping inspire and enable COPD patients to live a better life

Sydney, Australia – On World COPD Day, Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a leader in health technology, has announced the launch of a global movement to raise awareness for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide and is estimated to be the third leading cause by 2020.^{^[1]} However, there is a lack of awareness and a social stigma associated with the disease. Currently, only about half of the estimated 210 million people with the disease have been officially diagnosed.[2]

In an effort to break these barriers, Philips is collaborating with Australian COPD athlete Russell Winwood to create motivational content designed to help educate, engage and empower COPD patients and their caregivers. To further amplify the message, Philips has committed to donating USD $1 to The COPD Foundation for every campaign video share throughout November, COPD Awareness month.

“I first heard of COPD when I was diagnosed, and I was devastated,” said Winwood. “I wish I understood at that time that this wasn’t a death sentence, and it doesn’t mean you have to give up the things you love. With the support of my wife and family, I vowed that I wouldn’t allow this disease to take control of my life.”

Philips is working with Mr Winwood to share his personal journey with other COPD patients and inspire them to live their lives to the fullest.

“Patients need to feel empowered and encouraged to stand up and remove misconceptions and stigma from their lives. This diagnosis doesn’t mean the end; it means we have a reason to celebrate what our bodies can do.”

After being diagnosed with COPD and discovering that he had just 22% of his lung function, Russell found it difficult to move forward with his everyday routine. However, just six months after his diagnosis, he completed his first full Ironman and continues to participate in triathlons around the world.

For recently diagnosed COPD patients, Winwood shares advice for living well:

Kowledge: Understand what it means to have COPD. Patients should work with their doctor to create a customised action plan to help track progress.
Treatment: While there is no cure for COPD, there are many treatment options including prescription drugs, positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, portable oxygen concentrators, and ventilation therapy that can help patients maintain a better quality of life. By researching and having a strong understanding of the treatment options available, patients can have a more educated conversation with physicians about care plans.
Nutrition: A healthy diet is incredibly important for COPD patients as a poor diet can make symptoms worse and affect the ability to exercise. The right nutrition can even help patients breathe easier.
Exercise: Exercise can help improve cardio-respiratory fitness level by strengthening large muscle groups within one’s body while also improving circulation.

Dr. Teofilo Lee-Chiong, Chief Medical Liaison at Philips said, “COPD is among the most common, underdiagnosed, debilitating, deadly and costly diseases to manage.”

“People can’t find solutions for a problem they don’t know they have, or implement solutions they don’t know exist. At Philips, we are committed to making lives better for COPD patients, from education to developing innovative therapy solutions, and that with the right diagnosis, management plan and support group, people diagnosed with COPD can still live a full and active life.”

Philips offers patient-inspired COPD and respiratory disease management solutions that support each stage of the health continuum – from healthy living, through diagnosis, treatment and homecare – all while empowering consumers to live the active lifestyle they desire. The wide variety of Philips therapy solutions for COPD patients include OptiChamber Diamond spacer, InnoSpire Go next-generation portable mesh nebuliser that provides fast and efficient aerosol drug delivery, SimplyGo Mini lightweight portable oxygen concentrator, DreamStation Advanced Therapies, and Trilogy hospital-to-home ventilators. DreamStation and Trilogy now connect patients, payers, providers and physicians via Care Orchestrator, turning medical-grade data in to actionable information.

For more information about Russell’s story, Philips COPD solutions, or to help spread the message in support of COPD patients worldwide, please visit Philips.com/WorldCOPDDay. For every campaign video share, Philips will donate USD $1 to further globalise the impact of The COPD Foundation. By donating to The COPD Foundation, Philips will help extend the organisation’s ability to educate, engage and empower patients, providers and physicians all over the world. Follow the World COPD Day 2017 conversation on Twitter: @PhilipsHealth and @PhilipsResp.

[1]Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. 2017. Retrieved from: http://goldcopd.org/gold-2017-global-strategy-diagnosis-management-prevention-copd

[2] COPD Foundation, COPD Uncovered Report. 2011. Retrieved from: https://www.copdfoundation.org/pdfs/copd-uncovered-report-2011.pdf

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 71,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.