SMi is proud to present its 6th annual conference on COPD taking place from the 20th - 21st October 2014 in Central London.With the global COPD market forecasted to reach a value of $15.6 billion by 2019, COPD 2014 comes at a perfect time to provide the industry with a niche platform for discussion and a forum to learn from key visionaries in the field of COPD.The latest instalment in the successful series has evolved to include topical and current sessions, such as Patient Care and The Future of COPD, as well as presenting attendees with in-depth information on exacerbation and comorbidities, ensuring a successful clinical trial design and challenges in drug development and market access.“Fast and cost effective development of drugs that help to improve significantly the quality of life of patients requires the intensified collaboration of industry, academia, clinical research and regulators agencies. Working in the field of biomarkers at the interface of pre-clinical and clinical research makes this an everyday requirement. The 6thCOPD conference will bring together key opinion leaders from different stakeholders and will therefore foster this collaboration, especially by providing a very focused agenda.” Thomas Schlange, Senior Biomarker Expert, Bayer KEY SPEAKERS INCLUDE:Marcello Milano, Executive Global Regulatory Affairs, ChiesiThomas Schlange, Senior Biomarker Expert, BayerMercedes Prior, Head of Global Market Access, AlmirallCarla Bauer, Investigator, NovartisJan-Anders Karlsson, CEO, Verona PharmaEwan Walters, Medical Director, TevaRosa Lamarca, Head of Clinical Statistics, AlmirallRobert Wilson, Consultant Physician Lung Division, Royal Brompton HospitalAbebaw Yohannes, Reader in Physiotherapy, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityJim & Mary Nelson, Patient, Caregiver, Representatives of COPD Foundation and EFFORTS Online Support Group WHY ATTEND THIS EVENT:Understand the regulatory aspects of COPD, both from regulatory bodies and the industryExamine the current challenges to modelling exacerbations in COPD using animal modelsEvaluate COPD and comorbiditiesUnderstand the link between COPD and anxiety and depressionReview the challenges in clinical trial designs and in drug developmentDiscover the importance of putting the patient at the centre of everythingGain insight from real life story of a lung transplant patient