International Communication Award Recognises And Rewards Journalism Thatextends Public Awareness And Understanding Of COPD

Main Category: COPD
Article Date: 15 Nov 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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The independent judging panel of the Eloquium Award has named three journalists as winners of the 2007 competition for excellence in reporting on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) the fastest growing cause of death in the world's most advanced economies. Currently, 600 million people live with COPD which is projected to become the world's third-leading cause of death by 2020.1,2

The Boehringer Ingelheim Communication Award - Eloquium - attracted submissions from 13 countries, including Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, England, Japan, Lebanon, Sweden and Venezuela. Entries were judged by an independent panel of global COPD experts and leading journalists.*

The three winning entries of the Eloquium Award are:

1st: Annu Likkanen, Veteranen, Two cigarettes were Ulla-Britt's Undoing (Sweden)
2nd: Gilson Monteiro, Rádio Eldorado, Unknown enemy (Brazil)
3rd: María de los Ángeles González Izurieta, Vea, Tobacco is consuming you (Chile)

"It is important that patients seek early diagnosis and treatment for COPD and key to this is improving education and awareness about the disease," commented Professor Klaus Rabe, Chair of the Judging panel and Chairman of Pulmonology, Department of Pulmonology at Academisch Ziekenhuis Leiden, The Netherlands. "While COPD is beginning to build a warranted presence in the media, a continued and sustained presence is still needed."

Commenting on the winning entry, Patricia Reaney of ReutersHealth said, "By focusing on one woman`s battle with COPD the author of the winning article showed how smoking causes the illness, its impact on a person`s life and the importance of early detection and treatment to limit further lung damage."

COPD is a progressive respiratory disease that causes significant deterioration of lung function resulting in breathlessness, activity limitation and disability associated with the disease.3 Early diagnosis and treatment can greatly improve quality of life for COPD patients, yet many are unaware they even have the disease.4 It has been estimated that up to 50% of Americans and 75% of Europeans with COPD are undiagnosed.4,5

Eloquium is a communication award that is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. It has been awarded to three winners each year, since its launch in 2003.

Notes:

* Judging Panel for the Boehringer Ingelheim COPD Communication Award Eloquium 2007

- Professor Klaus Rabe
Chair of the Judging Panel and Chairman of Pulmonology, Department of Pulmonology at Academisch Ziekenhuis Leiden, The Netherlands

- Professor Christoph Fasel
Professor for Media & Communication Management at the Hochschule fuer Wirtschaft und Medien in Calw, Germany

- Jenny Hope
Medical Correspondent, Daily Mail, UK

- Susanna Palkonen
Executive Officer, European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations, Belgium

- Patricia Reaney
Chief Sub Editor, Lifestyle News, ReutersHealth, USA

Boehringer Ingelheim

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 137 affiliates in 47 countries and 38,400 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

In 2006, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 10.6 billion euro while spending one fifth of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on research and development.

References:

1. Murray CJL, Lopez AD. eds. The Global Burden of Disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries, and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. Cambridge; Harvard University Press; 1996.

2. World Health Organization. World Health Report 2004. Statistical Annex. Annex table 2 and 3: 120-131.

3. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease NHLBI/WHO Workshop Report. National Institute of Health; 2005. Available at http://www.goldcopd.com.

4. Rudolf M. The reality of drug use in COPD: The European Perspective. Chest 2000; 117:29S-32S

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Surveillance Summaries, August 2, 2002. MMWR 2002:51 (No SS-6);1.

http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/

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