AstraZeneca Pharma India Ltd., a science-led biopharmaceutical company, inaugurates a dedicated Centre of Excellence (CoE) for severe asthma in Manipal Hospital, Goa. This state-of-the-art centre will serve as exemplar hub for treatment and management of severe asthma patients, playing a crucial role in guiding and supporting evolving severe asthma centers. The centre will advocate a systematic and guidelines-based approach to identify and treat severe asthma patients.
The inauguration commenced by traditional Lighting of lamp by – Shri Surendra Prasad- Hospital Director & Unit Head -Manipal Hospital Goa; Dr Shekhar Salkar- Chief Of Oncology Department & Sr. Oncology Surgeon at Manipal Hospital Goa and Dr Prabhu Prasad N.C – Consultant Interventional Pulmonologist at Manipal Hospital Goa
Asthma, a global concern affecting over 339 million people annually, with more than 15 million cases in India alone. Tropical cities like Goa, characterized by high humidity levels, frequently trigger asthma attacks in patients.
The management of severe asthma requires continued research, education, and support to patients. To ensure seamless collaboration with the healthcare ecosystem, AstraZeneca is in discussion with potential local partners to aid in the execution of these centres. The company is an established leader in respiratory care across inhaled and biologic medicines and aims to transform the treatment of severe asthma by eliminating preventable asthma attacks across all severities through biology-led treatment. The therapeutic approach focuses on science involving immune mechanisms, lung damage and abnormal cell repair processes in the disease and neuronal dysfunction.
Equipped with innovative technologies for asthma management, including biologics checklists and data-driven treatment approaches, the newly inaugurated CoE Goa are expected to screen approximately 7,500+ patients within the first 12 months. This initiative’s sustainability will be ensured through collaborations, ongoing research, and knowledge-sharing with local healthcare professionals.
Dr. Anil Kukreja, Vice President – Medical Affairs & Regulatory, AstraZeneca India, said, “AstraZeneca is committed to reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as severe asthma, on healthcare systems through innovative and focused therapies. Manipal Goa exhibits a significant prevalence of asthma cases, which underscores the need for specialized care. The robust healthcare infrastructure of the city provides an ideal opportunity for the establishment of such specialized facilities to address localised healthcare challenges. In the coming years, we will expand these centres and introduce additional services to serve a diverse patient population effectively and improve respiratory health for all.”
The primary objectives of the severe asthma CoEs are to:
1. Enhance Care: These centers will offer cutting-edge diagnostics, personalized treatment plans, and access to clinical trials, ensuring that patients receive the best possible care.
2. Raising Awareness: Educational programs will be conducted to increase asthma awareness and prevention among the local population.
3. Research: The CoEs will contribute to the advancement of understanding severe asthma through local research initiatives.
Dr. Prabhu Prasad N.C Lead Consultant, Pulmonology, Manipal Hospitals, Goa, said “Our outpatient service based at Manipal Hospital has the busiest asthma clinic receiving referrals from regional primary and secondary health care centres with difficult-to treat asthma patients ,we were the first to establish precision asthma clinic in collaboration with Astrazeneca. Across its multidisciplinary team made up of physicians, respiratory therapist, nurses and supporting allied health professionals. The centre of excellence in severe asthma is being inaugurated to further improve our understanding of severe asthma and improve patient outcomes. We would be concentrating on clinical assessment diagnosis, patient counselling, and biologic initiation.”
Mr. Surendra Prasad, Hospital Director and Unit Head, Manipal Hospitals, Goa said, “As leaders in healthcare industry, we understand that it is our responsibility to establish patient centric, precision healthcare ecosystem that serves people, society. Taking bold action through initiatives and partnerships such as these, we are reimagining and re shaping approaches to healthcare ensuring better patient experiences and outcomes.”
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