The International Respiratory Coalition (IRC) is a coalition of respiratory clinicians and professional societies, including the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and European Lung Foundation (ELF), patients and industry partners was launched in September 2021.
The second IRC Summit took place in Lisbon, Portugal on 26–27 June 2023. The event was an important opportunity for representatives from national-level IRC coalitions and founding partner organisations to come together to discuss key developments and priority policy areas – especially those highlighted in the official IRC Manifesto, which was launched during the event. Hall Skaara, a pulmonary hypertension patient, participated in the Summit representing PHA Europe, the European Pulmonary Hypertension Association.
The Manifesto advocates for urgent action in four key areas, which are also relevant to pulmonary hypertension patients:
- Prevention of respiratory diseases
- Action on reducing inequalities
- Access to the right treatment at the right time
- Prioritisation of research, data and insight to improve care
Read more about the work of the IRC in the field of pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension at this link