Chiesi UK and Ireland has partnered with Wirral Primary Care Collaborative (WPCC) to launch the COMET (COPD Targeted Management, Early Intervention and Treatment) initiative, aimed at improving early diagnosis and management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the Wirral area in Northwest England.
The COMET initiative is aimed at relieving pressure on primary care and emergency services by facilitating early diagnosis and delivering evidence-based interventions for COPD. Individuals at high risk for COPD will be invited to attend a community diagnostic center (CDC) for spirometry assessments, followed by immediate management at a diagnostic clinic if diagnosed. This approach aims to provide care directly within local communities, ensuring patients have timely access to necessary services.
COPD burden in the UK
Chiesi noted that the UK faces some of the worst respiratory health outcomes in Europe, with higher mortality rates from COPD compared to similar nations. Unfortunately, early diagnosis opportunities are often overlooked, leading to many cases being identified incidentally through initiatives like NHS lung health checks or during emergency admissions for unrelated conditions—by which time, irreversible lung damage may have occurred.
The situation is particularly pressing in Wirral, where the prevalence of COPD stands at 2.6%, surpassing the national average of 1.8%.
Rachel Voller, Advanced Nurse Practitioner at Moreton & Meols PCN, said: “An estimated two million people live with undiagnosed COPD in the UK, with symptoms like breathlessness and chronic cough often mistaken for fatigue or ageing. These delays in diagnosis lead to reduced quality of life for patients, costly emergency hospital admissions and irreversible lung damage.
The lack of resources and funding across the UK means diagnostics in COPD, such as spirometry, are not always readily available in primary care. By establishing COMET, we’re equipping the NHS and supporting patients to take control of their lung health, improving early diagnosis and accelerating access to care.”
COMET’s role in providing care
The COMET initiative is focused on proactively identifying individuals at risk and providing them with timely access to essential spirometry and clinical assessments. This program allows those with symptoms or CT scan results indicative of emphysema to be referred for tests at local Community Diagnostic Centres, with follow-up assessments at the dedicated COMET clinic.
The partnership builds on valuable insights from FRONTIER, a successful hospital-based program in Hull that demonstrated how targeted screening could improve access to testing and care for underdiagnosed COPD. In contrast, COMET brings diagnostic assessments and management directly into Primary Care for participants of the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme on the Wirral, thereby expanding early detection and intervention beyond traditional hospital settings.
Harriet Lewis, Senior Director of Public Affairs and Communications at Chiesi UK and Ireland, comments: “At Chiesi, we believe early action is key to improving outcomes for people living with COPD. COMET has been designed to ensure access to diagnostic services is simple, breaking the cycle of delayed diagnosis and avoidable hospital admissions. By delivering care directly within the community, this partnership is integral to improving access to testing and care, easing NHS pressures and demonstrating how partnerships can drive scalable and sustainable change.”
