Future perspectives in COPD

Ongoing research initiatives by the public and private sector will contribute to our understanding of the disease processes underlying COPD, our understanding of the benefits associated with commonly used pharmacotherapies, as well as laying the foundations for the development of new agents and therapeutic tools. Advances in the use of pharmacotherapy have been mirrored by research to better define the benefits associated with pulmonary rehabilitation. Many questions remain to be answered, but a comprehensive approach is now considered essential to the life-long management of COPD, and will undoubtedly reduce the considerable socio-economic burden of COPD.