Unmet needs of patients with COPD in Germany: a retrospective, cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Earlier diagnosis and treatment of COPD, particularly preventing exacerbations, are key to slowing disease progression and reducing mortality. This study focused on the identification of patients in Germany with unstable COPD due to suboptimal treatments. METHODS: The IQVIA™ LRx database, capturing 80% of Statutory Health Insurance prescriptions was used to identify patients with COPD using a machine-learning model. Patients with unstable COPD were identified through high prescriptions of oral corticosteroid (OCS) and/or rescue inhalers between April 2022 and March 2023. RESULTS: The machine-learning model identified around 2.6 million treated patients with COPD, with 77% precision. The mean age was 71 years, 48% were female and 86% were aged

• Herth, F. J. F.
• Vogelmeier, C. F.
• Trudzinski, F. C.
• Watz, H.
• Skowasch, D.
• Beeh, K. M.
• Compton, C.
• Mohan, T.
• Richter, H.
• Claussen, J.
• Bartel, S.