Reckitt has launched a new education and early detection campaign for patients with undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Coming during National COPD Awareness Month, the specialty pharma that sells cough medicines has released a nationwide education program in the U.S. aimed at both patients and primary care physicians in their roles in early diagnosis.
The educational program includes a toolkit for physicians on why they should screen for COPD, the chronic lung condition that can cause difficulty in breathing, along with a five-question screening tool to help identify at-risk patients.
The Reckitt screening video was made in conjunction with pulmonologists Byron Thomashow, M.D., co-founder and chief medical officer of the COPD Foundation, and Robert Sussman, M.D., a former medical director of the Atlantic Respiratory Institute Clinical Research Center in Summit, New Jersey.
“Our purpose at Reckitt is to protect, heal and nurture; and everything we do and make helps advance that purpose,” said Tina Terraciano, associate director, medical marketing at Reckitt, in a press release.
“It’s only natural for Reckitt to launch and support a program that not only aligns with our purpose, but also provides primary care physicians with the helpful tools to facilitate early diagnosis of COPD and help in the fight for better respiratory health in America.”
This is not the first time Reckitt has targeted the role of healthcare workers and physicians in keeping patient communities healthy. In 2021, Reckitt launched a Mucinex campaign during National Hispanic Heritage Month in September that targeted the vital role Latino healthcare workers play in their communities.
“You can’t provide for anyone else unless you take care of yourself first,” Martha, a nurse, said in the marketing video.
Reckitt is the hygiene, health and nutrition company behind household brands such as OTC drug Mucinex, a mucoactive drug that works by loosening mucus in the airways and making coughs more productive, as well as Delsym and Lysol.
According to Reckitt, 16 million or more adults are undiagnosed but have COPD, which increases their risk of mortality.