Phạm Thị Mỹ Liên, president of GSK Vietnam, said her company aims to equip healthcare professionals with suitable medications as part of its efforts to bring advanced treatment solutions from prevention to treatment.

“Partnering with Việt Nam to address the challenges posed by the burden of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is not just a healthcare mission but also a commitment to the health and happiness of the community.”

Ngô Quý Châu, president of the Vietnam Respiratory Society, said each COPD patient has a different pathological condition and treatment needs to be personalised for effectiveness.

Following appropriate treatment helps keep patients’ symptoms stable and improve lung function, he said.

“This allows patients to maintain their normal activities and enhance their quality of life.”

COPD is a serious and progressive lung condition that worsens over time and is not reversible. For people living with COPD, difficulty breathing normally can make simple activities like walking upstairs or even changing clothes become an everyday struggle.

Many patients experience frequent debilitating exacerbations, which reduce their quality of life, decrease life expectancy and even lead to mortality. Some 40-50 per cent of patients still have at least one exacerbation despite maintenance treatment.

COPD represents a high economic burden globally, especially in low-and middle-income countries impacting both direct and indirect healthcare costs.

The treatment of COPD patients, especially during exacerbations, exerts pressure on healthcare systems.

It is among the top five respiratory diseases with treatment costs accounting for about 1 per cent of GDP (VNĐ67 trillion (US$2.7 billion) annually), much higher than preventive treatment costs.

Paul Jones, a global expert in respiratory medicine and medical director, respiratory, GSK Global, said his company’s triple therapy is an important advancement in the treatment of COPD patients who are at risk of exacerbations and have uncontrolled symptoms.

Medical evidence shows that the triple therapy FF/UMEC/VI reduces exacerbation rates by 44 per cent compared to the dual therapy ICS/LABA after 12 months.

It reduces hospitalisation rates by 34 per cent and mortality rates by 28 per cent compared to dual bronchodilator therapy.

It is now available in 63 countries and recommended by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.

Nguyễn Viết Nhung, president of the Việt Nam Lung Association, said the association and GSK would work together to strengthen medical education, clinical practice exchanges and disease education for patients to help them recognise the risk of exacerbation early and get an appropriate triple therapy.

“GSK is our trusted partner in the respiratory field. We are delighted that Việt Nam has another breakthrough treatment solution that helps patients get early access to the world's scientific achievements.”

COPD is the third leading cause of death globally.

Việt Nam has one of the highest rates of moderate and severe COPD cases in the Asia-Pacific region. — VNS