Advancing COPD Drug Development Through Biomarker-Driven, Clinically Meaningful Innovation
After years of limited progress, COPD drug development has entered a pivotal new chapter. Recent milestones, including Sanofi's approval of the first biologic therapy, renewed Big Pharma engagement, and multi‑billion‑dollar deals, have reignited scientific, commercial, and investor interest in a disease area long viewed as high risk and high attrition. Against this backdrop of renewed momentum, the inaugural COPD Drug Development Summit brought the industry together to explore the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of COPD therapeutics.
The industry-led meeting united leaders from discovery through late-stage development to discuss how emerging modalities, smarter trial design, and more precise endpoints can unlock the next generation of COPD therapies. Designed for biotech and pharmaceutical decision-makers, the summit delivered practical insights on reducing development risk, accelerating clinical proof-of-concept, and delivering meaningful benefit to heterogeneous COPD patient populations.
The event welcomed 65+ senior experts from leading and emerging organisations, including Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Merck, Ethris, Generate Biomedicines, and Connect Biopharma, creating a highly focused forum for scientific discussion, real-world case studies, and valuable networking.
Across two days of content and collaboration, attendees shared perspectives on the latest advances in disease biology, translational science, and clinical development tools, while examining what it will take to translate renewed investment into approved, disease‑modifying treatments for COPD. The summit provided a timely platform for the community to align on the priorities, partnerships, and innovations needed to advance the next wave of COPD drug development.
I truly appreciate the scale of the summit and the diversity of attendees, ranging from small biotech and large pharma to clinicians and academics. This diversity creates a valuable opportunity for cross-disciplinary learning.
Research Scientist, Inflammation & Drug Discovery, Takeda
I thought the quality of the actual content and ability to engage the audience frequently was stellar.
Medical Director, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
The overall agenda of topics and discussions were great, but in particular I was glad to participate in the preconference workshops. I felt they were valuable for both those new to the filed or experienced.
Principal Scientist, Research, Abbvie
Explore the 2026 Event Guide
- Networking with 65+ discovery, translational, clinical and regulatory experts from the likes of Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, GSK, AstraZeneca, Merck, Connect Biopharma, Generate Biomedicines, Ethris, and many more
- Critical debates on regulatory expectations and opportunities to validate novel endpoints that de‑risk development and support faster, more confident approvals
- Expert perspectives on combining imaging, molecular, and clinical data to build a more holistic view of COPD biology and improve translational success
- Talks from 16+ respiratory specialists and C-level executives presenting novel targets and clinical trial strategies
- 3 days of essential industry collaboration including over 6 hours of specialized networking
Attending Companies Included
Explore the 2026 Agenda
Gain direct insight into how leading pharma and biotech teams are advancing COPD pipelines, with case studies and discussions focused on biomarker-led trials, emerging biologics, and strategies to overcome translational and regulatory barriers.
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Build meaningful connections with the people shaping next-generation COPD