Roundup of the 2nd International Respiratory Coalition Summit

On 26–27 June the International Respiratory Coalition (IRC)* held its 2^nd Summit, “Accelerating the movement for better lung health”.

Organised by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) for the coalition, it took place in Lisbon, Portugal, where it was kindly hosted by the current ERS President Prof. Carlos Robalo Cordeiro. It gathered around 75 invited participants to support the development of national respiratory coalitions across Europe.

The Summit marked the launch of the official IRC manifesto. This important document outlines ways to decrease the burden of respiratory diseases by calling on governments and stakeholders to create and implement clear and measurable strategies focusing on 4 pillars:

• Prevention of respiratory diseases
• Access to the right treatment at the right time
• Action on reducing inequalities
• Prioritisation of research, data and insight to improve care

Another important milestone was the publication of national Lung Facts pages that are available in open access for everyone interested in respiratory health to use as a reference and advocacy tool to call for more action and investment in the field of lung health.

ELF, being one of the coalition founding partners, ensured that patients were represented and actively participated in the event. Twelve patients and patient organisation representatives joined the event this year. Each session was co-chaired by a patient organisation representative and other patients participated as speakers or contributed with their insights from the audience. ELF would like to once again thank all of them for their active involvement and support for the IRC. ELF is keen on creating opportunities to strengthen the patient voice in respiratory projects and ensure patient representation in all our initiatives.

*The International Respiratory Coalition (IRC) was launched in 2021. It was founded by the European Respiratory Society (ERS), European Lung Foundation (ELF) and the Global Allergy and Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP), as well as industry partners. The aim of the IRC is to promote lung health and improve respiratory care by supporting countries to implement national respiratory plans and strategies. The IRC works to support a reduction in deaths from respiratory diseases by a third by 2030.

Keep up to date with the latest IRC activities

Check global and national data on respiratory diseases via our Lung Facts tool