BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  ACR 168|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                         |
          |1020 N Street, Suite 524          |                         |
          |(916) 651-1520         Fax: (916) |                         |
          |327-4478                          |                         |
           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
           
                                         
                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  ACR 168
          Author:   Galgiani (D)
          Amended:  As introduced
          Vote:     21

           
          WITHOUT REFERENCE TO COMMITTEE OR FILE

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  78-0, 08/12/10 (Consent) - See last page  
            for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease awareness

           SOURCE  :     Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.


           DIGEST  :   This resolution encourages the Department of  
          Health Care Services to partner with private entities to  
          improve education regarding chronic obstructive pulmonary  
          disease.  In addition, this resolution designates November  
          2010 as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness  
          Month. 

           ANALYSIS  :    Resolution findings:

          1. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), also known  
             as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is the fourth  
             leading cause of death in the United States and is the  
             only one of the top five causes of death whose  
             prevalence and death rate is rising.

          2. COPD is a chronic and progressive disease that impacts  
                                                           CONTINUED





                                                               ACR 168
                                                                Page  
          2

             an estimated 24 million Americans each year,  
             approximately five million of whom are residents of  
             California, and an estimated 1.6 million of whom suffer  
             directly from the disease.

          3. In 2004, the national annual cost for COPD was estimated  
             to be $37 billion and in that same year, COPD caused  
             approximately 121,000 deaths nationwide.

          4. Many patients suffering with COPD are not diagnosed  
             until they have reached an advanced stage of COPD, which  
             often includes a disabling degree of lung dysfunction.

          5. A diagnostic test for COPD, known as spirometry, is  
             available for office use, allowing early diagnosis of  
             COPD.

          6. Early diagnosis and management of COPD can effectively  
             reduce the overall financial burden of this illness on  
             publicly funded health care programs, including  
             Medi-Cal.

          7. Achieving early diagnosis and proper management of COPD  
             among California's diverse populations, within the  
             Medi-Cal program as well as other publicly funded health  
             care programs, requires overcoming cultural, language,  
             and literacy challenges.

          8. Proper management of COPD can lead to an improved  
             quality of life and self-sufficiency for patients who  
             receive publicly funded benefits.

          9. The "Healthy People 2010" project of the Centers for  
             Disease Control and Prevention and the National  
             Institutes of Health concludes that, while primary care  
             physicians are in a key position to provide optimal care  
             to patients with COPD and to provide counseling during  
             clinical or health center visits, primary care  
             physicians need to be trained in the latest methods for  
             diagnosing and treating the disease.

           Background
           
          COPD is the term for chronic bronchitis, emphysema and a  

                                                           CONTINUED





                                                               ACR 168
                                                                Page  
          3

          range of other respiratory disorders. It is a source of  
          significant health problems in the United States and  
          throughout the world. Many aspects of COPD are preventable  
          and treatable. COPD is diagnosed via lung function tests.  
          Health management strategies include smoking cessation,  
          vaccinations, rehabilitation, and inhaler use. Patients  
          with severe symptoms sometimes require long-term oxygen  
          therapy or lung transplantation. 

          Note:This bill is sponsored by Boehringer-Ingelheim  
               Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an international company  
               headquartered in Germany.  The company markets several  
               treatments for COPD including Spiriva, Atrovent,  
               Combinvent, and Duovent. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Fiscal Com.:  Yes

          According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee  
          analysis, this resolution has no direct fiscal impact to  
          the Department of Health Care Services. 

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/24/10)

          Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (source) 
          GlaxoSmithKline
          Talecris Biotherapeutics

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    Boehringer-Ingelheim  
          Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BIPI), sponsor of this resolution  
          states, "COPD is a slowly debilitating disease, whose  
          prevalence and deadliness is on the rise in the U.S. and  
          internationally.  Approximately 1.6 million Californians  
          are direct suffers of COPD which progressively constricts  
          and damages airways.  Alarmingly, the World Health  
          Organization (WHO) reports that, on average, one person  
          every 10 seconds dies from COPD complications.

          "COPD is largely preventable, but not curable.  Appropriate  
          management improves symptoms and helps people improve their  
          quality of life.  BIPI is dedicating substantial research  
          resources to investigate possible new interventions that  
          target novel targets in COPD."



                                                           CONTINUED





                                                               ACR 168
                                                                Page  
          4

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  
          AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall, Bill  
            Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,  
            Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles  
            Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De  
            La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,  
            Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,  
            Garrick, Gatto, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,  
            Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight,  
            Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller,  
            Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, V. Manuel  
            Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva,  
            Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson,  
            Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, John  
            A. Perez
          NO VOTE RECORDED: Norby, Vacancy


          CTW:nl  8/28/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

                                ****  END  ****






















                                                           CONTINUED