From addressing critical challenges to shaping innovative solutions: GSK’s medical head, general medicines, UK, Aruni Mulgirigama, shares her perspective on the future of respiratory care
This article has been created and funded by GSK.
Why focus on respiratory care?
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Breathing is a fundamental act of life, and for many of us, it is something we take for granted. But for the millions of people in the UK living with respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), breathing can be a daily challenge.
For them, even a simple breath can be a struggle, and distressing symptoms like breathlessness, cough and fatigue can have a profound effect on daily life. The full extent of respiratory disease’s impact is often not fully seen or appreciated by others. People with long-term lung conditions report feelings of loneliness and isolation, which are associated with poorer quality of life and health behaviours, and can lead to depression.1
When I saw a patient in respiratory distress during my medical training, it was a career-defining moment. I knew from that day that I would pursue a specialism in respiratory medicine. In my role, I am deeply committed to advancing respiratory care by finding innovative ways to use our expertise and partnerships to make a real difference for patients.
The burden of respiratory disease in the UK
Respiratory diseases have a huge impact in the UK, affecting one in five people2 and placing considerable strain on the healthcare system. They are the leading driver of hospital admissions and winter NHS pressures, as well as the second biggest contributor to NHS bed days.3 The UK has the fourth-highest death rate for respiratory diseases in the World Health Organization’s European Region.4 In England and Wales, an average of 73,980 people died from respiratory disease each year between 2015 and 2019, equivalent to one person every seven minutes,5 a startling figure.
The opportunity for change
With innovation, collaboration, and a proactive approach to prevention, I believe we can get ahead of respiratory disease. Together, we have the potential to help improve outcomes for patients, give them a better quality of life, and reduce pressure on the healthcare system, particularly during winter. Timely diagnosis, good basic care, and access to respiratory medicines can transform patients’ lives, but it is important that the NHS is set up so that everyone who could benefit can access these services and innovations.
We need a system-wide approach that brings joined-up care: including prevention, early intervention, digital innovation, coordinated teams – right across the board. The NHS 10-Year Health Plan for England commits to introducing the first Modern Service Frameworks for cardiovascular disease, mental health, frailty and dementia in early 2026. We want to see a Modern Service Framework for respiratory disease, followed soon after, to ensure it is treated as an NHS priority.
Our role at GSK
At GSK, we have a deep heritage in respiratory innovation, addressing respiratory challenges for more than five decades by working to prevent disease and provide access to innovative treatments. Our focus is on understanding the root causes of conditions like asthma and COPD. This understanding drives our ambition to shape the future of respiratory medicine in the UK, with a broad range of therapies designed to help as many patients as possible by preventing or even stopping disease progression and reducing future complications. GSK is committed to supporting health systems that deliver high-quality, equitable respiratory care. To achieve this, we know we need to work closely with the government, the NHS, universities, and patient groups to create solutions that meet real-world needs.
I am proud of our past work with the NHS to support respiratory care, for example our severe asthma support service project UNITE which ran from October 2022 until December 2024.6 And we continue to support projects such as the COPD Patient Review Service, a non-promotional service funded by GSK,7 which has been running since 2018 helping GP practices provide comprehensive COPD reviews and advice for patients on managing their condition. To date, more than 160,000 patients have been reviewed across more than 2,500 GP surgeries.8
Looking forward
Our goal is a future where everyone living with a respiratory condition can breathe easier and live well. Achieving that vision will require innovation and ongoing collaboration between all system partners, including industry. At GSK, we are committed to building on our legacy of innovation, working in partnership with government, the NHS and the respiratory community to ensure that progress in science translates into progress for patients, now and in the years to come.
Job code: NP-GB-RS-WCNT-250004
Date of preparation: October 2025
References:
1 Asthma and Lung UK: Why should we be thinking about the social impact of living with a lung condition? | Asthma + Lung UK.
2 NHS England: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/respiratory-disease/.
3 Asthma + Lung UK: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/mission-lung-health-report-2024.
4 World Health Organization, WHO Mortality Database. This claim is based on the latest data on age-standardised death rate per 100,000 standard population in the Europe region. Available at https://platform.who.int/mortality/themes/theme-details/topics/topic-details/MDB/respiratory-diseases..
5 Office for National Statistics, Deaths from respiratory diseases from 2015 to 2020 and influenza and pneumonia in 2020. Available at https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/deathsfromrespiratorydiseasefrom2015to2020andinfluenzaandpneumoniain2020.
6 GSK data on file, NP-GB-ASU-BRFS-250003.
7 GSK data on file, REF-287913
8 GSK data on file, 2025, REF-288770 & 2025, REF-288772.
