Lung diseases such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma profoundly impact millions of people, economies, and the planet. Multiple determinants of health, including poverty, smoking, air pollution, and proximity to healthcare, contribute to poor lung health outcomes and may act as barriers to detection, diagnosis, and guideline-based care.
Our ambition is to transform lung outcomes globally. We are leveraging data and insights to understand healthcare barriers along the entire patient journey to address disparities at the postal code level and deliver targeted interventions for those at greatest risk of lung diseases.
AstraZeneca partners with governments, healthcare providers and communities to close care gaps in screening, early detection, diagnosis and treatment. We are leveraging data analytics to understand common factors that compound to worsen lung health inequities, collaborating with local health systems to target interventions towards underserved patients, and advocating for policy changes to support comprehensive lung disease management.
One flagship global programme we partner on is the Lung Ambition Alliance (LAA), a global coalition aiming to one day eliminate lung cancer as a cause of death by improving earlier detection, precision diagnosis, treatment and quality of care. LAA is now active in 50 countries. As part of this initiative and our commitment to leveraging technology to advance lung cancer care in low-and-middle income countries, we also collaborate with Qure.ai to screen patients with AI-enabled X-rays, an effective and cost-efficient solution. We aim to screen 5 million patients by the end of 2025.
As members of the International Respiratory Coalition (IRC), we collaborate to transform respiratory care and reduce deaths from respiratory diseases by one-third globally by 2030 – in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 3, seeking to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages. The IRC and its national members empower national respiratory coalitions to work with governments and other health stakeholders in advocating for the prioritisation of respiratory health as a key public health concern in national health policies. To support this goal, the IRC urges governments and policy makers to establish funded respiratory strategies.
These programmes, and many others, are helping to improve patient outcomes, reduce the burden of lung diseases on the health system and mitigate the environment impact of the delivery of care.
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Veeva ID: Z4-74579
Date of preparation: May 2025