'New Breath' Project Officially Launched to Enhance Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment in China

Guangzhou, February 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, in order to further strengthen the prevention and treatment of chronic respiratory diseases and promote the improvement of standardized asthma diagnosis and treatment in China, the "New Breath" China Asthma Patient Online Registry Database System Construction Project (hereinafter referred to as the "Project"), led by the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, and the National Center for Respiratory Medicine, and supported by GSK China, held the Phase II Project Signing Ceremony at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Professor Lai Kefang, Director of the Clinical Trials Department of the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases at Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, presided over the signing ceremony. Attendees included Academician Zhong Nanshan, Director of the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor Lai Kefang from the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health and the project research team, Dr. Pauline Ng, Vice President of GSK and Head of Medical Affairs for GSK's Prescription Medicines in China, Dr. Ding Xu, Vice President of GSK and Head of GSK's Respiratory Business in China, and their research teams.

Group Photo of Guests at the Project Signing Ceremony

Professor Lai Kefang introduced the project background: "The first phase of the project, 'New Breathing, Constant Care,' was launched in December 2017, with the participation of 58 hospitals across 10 regions in China, enrolling more than 20,000 asthma patients. This second phase, 'Brand New Breathing,' plans to invite 110 hospitals nationwide to join and register clinical data for approximately 18,000 asthma patients. By establishing model areas for standardized asthma management and treatment, and through mobile internet medical technology, a collaborative network and database for managing asthma patients in China will be developed to improve the level of disease control among asthma patients in China."

According to a research survey published in The Lancet in 2019, the prevalence of asthma in people aged 20 and above in China is 4.2%, with 45.7 million adult patients. Alarmingly, 71.2% of asthma patients had not been previously diagnosed, while 26.2% (13.1 million) of patients exhibited airflow limitation in lung function. Only 5.6% of patients received standardized inhaled corticosteroid treatment. These findings reveal the severe inadequacy of standardized asthma diagnosis and management in China, underscoring the urgency and significance of implementing comprehensive measures to enhance national asthma prevention and control.

Director of the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Academician Zhong Nanshan of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

Academician Zhong Nanshan stated: "The second-phase project, 'New Breath,' aims to establish a nationwide asthma patient registry platform based on standardized asthma medical records, as well as to promote the collection of single-disease data for asthma and database sharing. This will actively facilitate the formulation of standardized clinical diagnosis and treatment guidelines for asthma, thereby enhancing the level of asthma diagnosis, treatment, and research in China. Additionally, it will drive fundamental and clinical translational research in the field of asthma in China. At the same time, it will provide data references for relevant Chinese government departments to formulate health and medical insurance policies, benefiting more Chinese asthma patients."

Dr. Pauline Ng, Vice President of GSK and Head of the China Prescription Medicine Medical Department

Dr. Pauline Ng, Vice President of GSK and Head of the China Prescription Medicine Medical Department, stated: "GSK has extensive experience in the global respiratory disease field and real-world medical data. Through this collaboration with the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, we look forward to continuously strengthening the close cooperation between GSK and China's respiratory clinical and research capabilities, helping to improve doctors' asthma diagnosis and treatment levels as well as patients' self-disease management abilities."

After the signing ceremony, both parties had a heated discussion on how to collaborate with relevant units at all levels for the project, establish standardized electronic medical records for asthma, and build a national online registration database system for asthma patients in China. The aim is to provide more evidence for the standardized diagnosis and treatment of asthma patients in China and improve the overall control level of asthma in China.