Nycomed A Takeda Company

ZURICH, November 16, 2011 - Updated international treatment guidelines confirm experts' views that prevention of COPD exacerbations should be of equal importance to relieving daily symptoms New data confirms COPD patients are at increased risk during winter, experiencing an increase in exacerbations, increasing the risk of long-term damage and more rapid disease progression Patients should focus on prevention of exacerbations during the winter months, when they are at greatest risk, to ensure they reduce faster progression of the disease and ultimately, mortality International treatment guidelines - from the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) - have advised that prevention of exacerbations should be a cornerstone of COPD management, placing equal emphasis on the management of future risk as it does on treatment of COPD symptoms.[1] This is also confirmed in the latest data on the impact of season on the frequency of COPD exacerbations, showing an almost two-fold increase in the winter months.