Demand for respiratory treatments in China to remain high, say analysts

CRDs account for 13% of chronic disease-driven deaths.

Firms for respiratory treatments are taking deep breaths as respiratory treatments remain to be in demand, with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases resulting in 89% of chronic respiratory deaths in 2015.

According to BMI Research, asthma in contrast accounts for a much smaller 10% of deaths arising from chronic respiratory diseases.

“This proportion is also reflected in the number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), with COPD imposing a burden 15 times larger than asthma in China (14,958,007 DALYs as compared to 1,001,652) for 2015,” BMI said.

Meanwhile, the economic burden stemming from these respiratory diseases will also be substantial, with the World Economic Forum projecting a cumulative loss of output amounting to USD7.3trn from 2012-2030 due to respiratory diseases.

“This is exponentially greater than that of India which, despite its comparable population size, is only expected to incur a loss of USD930bn during the same time period. The financial cost to individual patients is no less significant with a study of 723 COPD outpatients noting average annual direct medical costs (outpatient, inpatient and medicine costs) of CNY11,744 (USD1,806) and direct nonmedical costs (such as transportation, nutrition and nursing costs) of CNY1,570 (USD241),” BMI Research said.