Background The global prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary dis-
ease (COPD) has increased markedly in recent decades. Given the scarcity of

resources available to address global health challenges and respiratory med-
icine being relatively under-invested in, it is important to define research

priorities for COPD globally. In this paper, we aim to identify a ranked set of
COPD research priorities that need to be addressed in the next 10 years to
substantially reduce the global impact of COPD.
Methods We adapted the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative
(CHNRI) methodology to identify global COPD research priorities.
Results 62 experts contributed 230 research ideas, which were scored by 34
researchers according to six pre-defined criteria: answerability, effectiveness,

feasibility, deliverability, burden reduction, and equity. The top-ranked re-
search priority was the need for new effective strategies to support smoking

cessation. Of the top 20 overall research priorities, six were focused on feasi-
ble and cost-effective pulmonary rehabilitation delivery and access, particu-
larly in primary/community care and low-resource settings. Three of the top

10 overall priorities called for research on improved screening and accurate
diagnostic methods for COPD in low-resource primary care settings. Further
ideas that drew support involved a better understanding of risk factors for
COPD, development of effective training programmes for health workers and
physicians in low resource settings, and evaluation of novel interventions to
encourage physical activity.
Conclusions The experts agreed that the most pressing feasible research

questions to address in the next decade for COPD reduction were on preven-
tion, diagnosis and rehabilitation of COPD, especially in low resource set-
tings. The largest gains should be expected in low- and middle-income coun-
tries (LMIC) settings, as the large majority of COPD deaths occur in those

settings. Research priorities identified by this systematic international process

should inform and motivate policymakers, funders, and researchers to sup-
port and conduct research to reduce the global burden of COPD.

Davies Adeloye 1, Dhiraj Agarwal 2, Peter J Barnes 3, Marcel Bonay 4, Job F van Boven 5,, Jamie Bryant 6, Gaetano Caramori 7, David Dockrell 8, Anthony D'Urzo 9, Magnus Ekström 10, , Gregory Erhabor 11, Cristóbal Esteban 12, Catherine M Greene 13, John Hurst 14, Sanjay Juvekar 2, , Ee Ming Khoo 15, Fanny W Ko 16, Brian Lipworth 17, Jose L López-Campos 18, , Matthew Maddocks 19, David M Mannino 20, Fernando J Martinez 21, Miguel A Martinez-Garcia 22, , Renae J McNamara 23, Marc Miravitlles 24, Hilary Pinnock 1, Alison Pooler 25, Jennifer K Quint 3, , Peter Schwarz 26, George M Slavich 27, Peige Song 28, Andrew Tai 29, Henrik Watz 30, , and Jadwiga A Wedzicha 3, Michelle C Williams 31, Harry Campbell 1, Aziz Sheikh 1, Igor Rudan 1. "Research priorities to address the global burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the next decade." J Glob Health (2021).