About Respiratory Diseases
While acute respiratory conditions like colds, bronchitis, and pneumonia, are usually relatively short-lived and readily treated with available drugs, chronic respiratory disorders continue to cause considerable distress and disability, and are, in general, poorly served by today's medications. For instance, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the USA. And asthma ranks among the most common chronic conditions, with over 15 million people affected in the USA; new approaches in treating asthma attacks and in preventing their occurrence are urgently needed.
Respiratory Clinical Trials at Novartis
Novartis Pharmaceuticals is directing its research efforts to provide improved medications for respiratory ailments. Some of the conditions currently under investigation include:
Asthma
This debilitating condition is caused by narrowing and inflammation of the airways in the lungs; symptoms include recurrent attacks of wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and labored breathing. The frequency of asthma has been increasing for all age groups.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Two major diseases contribute to COPD: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The chief symptoms are chronic cough, spitting or coughing up mucus (expectoration), breathlessness on exertion, and progressive reduction in the ability to breathe out fully. Cigarette smoking accounts for over 80% of COPD deaths.
If you are interested in learning more about other disease areas or
therapeutic areas of Novartis clinical research, please select from the
list below.
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