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Doctors Get Rx For Improving Management of U.S.'s Fourth Leading Killer NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 18, 1997 --Bayer Pharmaceutical Division announced an important new program to provide primary care physicians with the latest clinical research in managing infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to reduce hospitalization and mortality. This initiative, called CLEAR: Managing Infection in COPD, is believed to be the first of its kind, as it's designed and run by specialists for generalists in collaboration with experts in pulmonology. More than 14 million people suffer from COPD; it causes more than 10 million doctor visits and two million hospitalizations annually. The seriousness and cost of treating this condition led a group of prominent pulmonary experts to initiate the CLEAR initiative with Bayer. This initiative was developed to disseminate exciting new research findings and seek optimal treatment strategies. "Primary care physicians need to know about new information impacting patient care. In managing COPD, optimal management can reduce complications and allow patients to have a more rapid return to their usual lifestyle," said Michael Niederman, MD, FCCP, Chairman of the CLEAR Steering Committee, Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit, Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, N.Y., and Professor of Medicine at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. "For example, it was long believed that the bulk of chronic bronchitis exacerbations were viral,” he added, “but research over the past several years has shown that between 40 and 50% of acute flare-ups are caused by bacteria, and thus are potentially treatable." In fact, many providers don't know that the most common bacteria found in the cultures of chronic bronchitis patients are Haemophilus influenzae (51%), followed by Moraxella catarrhalis (25%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (20%). Patients with COPD often have a component of chronic bronchitis contributing to their airway obstruction and chronic symptoms. If left untreated, chronic bronchitis could lead to more serious illnesses and ultimately death," Richard Goodstein, MD, Vice President of Scientific Relations, Bayer Pharmaceutical Division, West Haven, Conn., told physicians attending an American College of Chest Physicians' Symposium on Mechanisms & Management of COPD. "We are sponsoring this important initiative because we want to help primary care physicians optimize management of their COPD patients." CLEAR activities will be led by a nation-wide teaching faculty of pulmonary specialists and will include a series of educational programs for the medical community. Robert Guthrie, MD, a CLEAR Steering Committee member, family physician and Associate Professor at Ohio State University, called the initiative a model for the kind of collaborative effort which will allow primary care physicians and specialists to learn from each other for the benefit of their patients. "One of the primary goals of the CLEAR program is to provide primary care physicians with the latest information about treatment for COPD-related infections," Guthrie explained. "If the primary care physician can get on top of these infections at the first patient encounter, we should be able to drastically reduce the total number of physician visits, hospitalizations, days of lost work, and ultimately improve COPD patients' quality-of-life." E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version