The future of asthma research and development: a roadmap from the European Asthma Research and Innovation Partnership (EARIP)

A coordinated European multi-stakeholder approach to asthma research Asthma is highly prevalent and associated with high morbidity and mortality. It affects 30-50 million people in Europe, often starting in infancy and persisting throughout life. Asthma is a major global health challenge, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide and at least 10% of all Europeans [1]. People with asthma live at risk of life-threatening asthma attacks, leading to over 500 000 hospitalisations each year. Approximately 5-10% of asthma cases are so severe that current treatments do not work. The Framework Programme 7-funded European Asthma Research and Innovation Partnership (EARIP; www.EARIP.eu) was established in 2013 to harmonise efforts to reduce mortality and morbidity from asthma by agreeing the most important research priorities across relevant stakeholders in Europe. This is essential to address the significant impact of asthma on the individual, healthcare systems and national and European economies, outlined in the accompanying editorial in this issue of the European Respiratory Journal [2]. EARIP produced an evidence- and consensus-based list of the research priorities (a roadmap) and investment needed to reduce asthma deaths and hospitalisations. By identifying the priorities, a coordinated effort can be made to fast-track change to better manage, prevent and cure asthma [3]. The roadmap will be the foundation on which future EU, national and international research funding programmes can transform asthma outcomes throughout Europe. The roadmap is the product of a comprehensive multi-stage process, led by the European Lung Foundation and Asthma UK (figure 1) [4]. Multiple stakeholder groups informed the roadmap process to ensure scientific accuracy, clinical relevance and outcomes that reflect the priorities of patients and caregivers, with an overarching steering board. A final consensus workshop brought together 28 experts from 15 European countries comprising: patients, patient organisations, primary healthcare professionals (HCPs), secondary HCPs, researchers, industry representatives and policy influencers. A full list of the roadmap contributors is available at www.EARIP.eu/roadmap. The rest of this article describes its development and outcomes.