Competing interests
AA has received reimbursements, fees, or funding from GlaxoSmithKline, Almirall, AstraZeneca, Boheringer-Ingelheim, Roche, Nycomed, Novartis and Procter & Gamble; PMAC has received consulting fees from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Nycomed and Pfizer, speaking fees from GlaxoSmithKline and Nycomed; and grant support from Boehringer-Ingelheim and GlaxoSmithKline; BC has received grants to the pulmonary division he works in to complete research studies. From GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Forrest Medical, Astra Zeneca and Aeris; has served on advisory boards for GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Almirall, Astra Zeneca, Aeris and Deep Breeze; has received speaker fees from GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Astra Zeneca, Almirall and Esteve; Does not have shares or interest in any company. Neither does the family; Has not received tobacco money nor has stocks in any tobacco related companies; HOC has received an honorarium for serving on the steering committee for the ECLIPSE project for GlaxoSmithKline. In addition HC was the co-investigator on two multi-centre studies sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and has received travel expenses to attend meetings related to the project. HC has three contract service agreements with GlaxoSmithKline to quantify the CT scans in subjects with COPD and a service agreement with Spiration Inc to measure changes in lung volume in subjects with severe emphysema HC is the co-investigator (D Sin PI) on a Canadian Institutes of Health - Industry (Wyeth) partnership grant. HC has received a fee for speaking at a conference and related travel expenses from AstraZeneca (Australia); LDE is an employee of GlaxoSmithKline and hold stocks and stock options in GlaxoSmithKline; DAL has received grant funding, honoraria and travel expenses from GlaxoSmithKline and serves on the Respiratory CEDD Board of GlaxoSmithKline; WM has been reimbursed for travel by GlaxoSmithKline, Zambon, Astra Zeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Pfizer and Micromet for attending conferences; has received honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca for participating as a speaker in scientific meetings; serves on advisory boards for GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Almirall, Amgen, Bayer and Micromet; serves as a consultant for Pfizer and SMB Pharmaceuticals; BEM is an employee and shareholder of GlaxoSmithKline, the sponsor of ECLIPSE; SR has consulted or participated in advisory boards for: Able Associates, Adelphia Research, Almirall/Prescott, APT Pharma/Britnall, Aradigm, AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Chiesi, CommonHealth, Consult Complete, COP Forum, DataMonitor, Decision Resources, Defined Health, Dey, Dunn Group, Eaton Associates, Equinox, Gerson, GlaxoSmithKline, Infomed, KOL Connection, M. Pankove, MedaCorp, MDRx Financial, Mpex, Novartis, Nycomed, Oriel Therapeutics, Otsuka, Pennside Partners, Pfizer (Varenicline), PharmaVentures, Pharmaxis, Price Waterhouse, Propagate, Pulmatrix, Reckner Associates, Recruiting Resources, Roche, Schlesinger Medical, Scimed, Sudler and Hennessey, TargeGen, Theravance, UBC, Uptake Medical, VantagePoint Management. SR has given lectures for: American Thoracic Society, Astra Zeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, California Allergy Society, Creative Educational Concept, France Foundation, Information TV, Network for Continuing Ed, Novartis, Pfizer, SOMA. SR has received industry-sponsored grants from: Astra Zeneca, Biomarck, Centocor, Mpex, Nabi, Novartis, Otsuka; EKS has received grant support and consulting fees from GlaxoSmithKline for studies of COPD genetics and honoraria and consulting fees from Astra Zeneca; RT-S is an employee and shareholder of GlaxoSmithKline, the sponsor of ECLIPSE; EW serves on an advisory board for Nycomed; has received lecture fees from GlaxoSmithKline, Astra Zeneca and Novartis; has received research grants from GlaxoSmithKline and Astra Zeneca; JCY is an employee and shareholder of GlaxoSmithKline, the sponsor of ECLIPSE; JV has received fees for advising and/or presenting from GlaxoSmithKline, Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Nycomed, Hofmann - la Roche, Talecris, Kamada and Sounds Biotech; has received research support from GlaxoSmithKline.
Authors' contributions
The authors developed the design and concept of the study, approved the statistical plan, had full access to and interpreted the data, wrote the article, read and approved the final manuscript and were responsible for decisions with regard to publication.
AA was a study investigator, developed the study protocol, served on the scientific committee, interpreted study data, developed the first draft of the manuscript, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; PMAC developed the study protocol, served on the scientific committee, interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; BC was a study investigator, developed the study protocol, served on the scientific committee, interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; HOC developed the study protocol, served on the steering committee, interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; LDE developed the study protocol, served on the steering committee, performed statistical analysis and interpreted data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; DAL developed the study protocol, served on the steering committee, interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript. WM was a study investigator, developed the study protocol, served on the steering and scientific (Chair) committees, interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; BEM interpreted data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; SR was a study investigator, developed the study protocol, served on the scientific committee, interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; EKS was a study investigator, developed the study protocol, served on the steering committee, interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; RTS developed the study protocol, served on the steering and scientific committees, interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; EW served on the scientific committee, developed the study protocol interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript; JCY developed the study protocol, served on the steering and scientific committees, interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript. JV was a study investigator, developed the study protocol, served on the steering committee, interpreted study data, contributed to and reviewed drafts of the manuscript, and approved the final version of the manuscript.
The study sponsor (GlaxoSmithKline) did not place any restrictions with regard to statements made in the final version of the article.