Real-World Observational Study Will Aid in Understanding of Progression of COPD

A new collaboration between the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), Duke University’s MURDOCK Study, and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc will try to better understand how chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) progresses. The research effort will follow 850 people with chronic COPD for 5 years and measure changes in their health.

Randomized clinical trials don’t typically mirror real-world practices since they use strict inclusion criteria and regimented patient follow-up. In the MURDOCK Study, disease development and progression in the real world would be compared with the current system for classifying the stages of COPD.

“By contrast, this observational study will create a diverse group of participants with COPD who will be followed for years, allowing us to better understand the impact and progression of COPD in a community,” Scott Palmer, MD, director for DCRI Respiratory Research and principal investigator of the MURDOCK COPD Study, said in a statement. “We hope this study will ultimately contribute to our understanding of how to provide better patient care and more effective treatment for patients in the community setting.”

The study’s results could help improve understanding of COPD therapy patterns. Enrollment in the study is open to adults who are at least 40 years old and have been diagnosed with COPD through a breathing test administered during a screening visit. As part of the 5-year study, researchers will contact participants every 6 months to measure changes to their health.

“This disease can have a profound impact on someone’s quality of life,” said Jamie Todd, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the DCRI and co-principal investigator of the study. “As healthcare providers caring for patients with COPD, we want to help our patients understand their risk for flare-ups of breathing problems, hospitalizations and other outcomes that can negatively affect their lives.”