China's COPD population expected to grow

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease population in China will grow substantially in coming years, according to research carried out by Decision Resources, an analyst firm covering the drug and health care sectors. DR's new Emerging Markets report forecasts an annual growth rate of between 1.6% and 2.2% over the next five years, with the greatest expansion being seen in an urban setting among patients aged 60 and over.

Regina Cebula Jammen, an analyst at Decision Resources, said that "China's COPD market presents a potentially lucrative opportunity for multinational corporations. By establishing effective COPD awareness programs in collaboration with China's Global Alliance Against Chronic Respiratory Diseases, [drugmakers] have the opportunity to tap into a COPD-prevalent population that is significantly underdiagnosed and undertreated."

Major factors hampering the development of the COPD therapy market in China, according to DR, include the inexperience of local physicians in diagnosing the disease with asthma being wrongly identified, as well as the relative scarcity of access to health care in rural districts of the country.