About the Inhaled Respiratory medicine Innovation and environmental Sustainability (IRIS) Group
Advocating for continued access to essential respiratory medicines, clinical choice and long-term environmental sustainability.
The IRIS group has been established with 10 members across 7 countries. We are dedicated to revolutionizing respiratory medicine and promoting environmental sustainability. Our mission is to provide innovative solutions for respiratory illnesses while ensuring a greener and healthier future for all.
IRIS activities
IRIS will ensure that the voice of respiratory community is heard in decisions affecting access to essential respiratory medicines. Currently, our activities are centred around 3 areas:
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Informing policy consultations to advocate for patient access to essential inhaled medications
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Highlighting the importance of clinical choice for physicians and patients, with a focus on disease control plus environmental sustainability
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Promoting innovation and practices within the sphere of respiratory medicine that protect the environment
Meet Our Secretariat
L.E.K. Consulting are acting Secretariat, facilitating and convening IRIS and leading communications with the community.
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Meet Our Dedicated Team
Arzu YorgancioÄŸlu (Chair)
Professor at the Department of Pulmonology, Celal Bayar University Manisa, Turkey
Prof YorgancioÄŸlu is a fellow of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS), is the current chair of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Board of Directors, coordinator of the Reference Site of European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Aging (EIP on AHA) in Turkey, and is a member of the UN Environment MCTOC. She is the past chair of the WHO GARD (Global Alliance against Respiratory Diseases) and the Advocacy Council Chair of the ERS Executive Committee.
"I currently have the honour of chairing IRIS, a community of clinicians and other stakeholders committed to protecting patient access to essential inhaled medications. Our remit is to be voice of the respiratory community advocating on your behalf to defend clinical choice whilst supporting environmental sustainability."
Job van Boven
Associate Professor of Cost-Effective & Sustainable Respiratory Drug Use at the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
Prof van Boven is the head of a multidisciplinary clinical, academic research group focusing on maximizing the clinical and societal benefits of respiratory medicines.
"IRIS brings together a multidisciplinary international group of inhaler experts, together aiming to safeguard that every patient around the globe has access to tailored inhaled therapy that maximises clinical benefits, while minimizing environmental burden."
John Hurst
Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University College London, UK
Professor Hurst is an academic pulmonologist with clinical and research interests in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
"Access to inhaled pharmacotherapy is crucial to reduce the burden of respiratory disease across the world, and to planetary health."
Franziska Christina Trudzinski
Senior Attending Physician in Pulmonology and Intensive Care Medicine at the Thorax Clinic Heidelberg, Germany
Prof Trudzinski is a board‑certified pulmonologist with additional qualifications in infectiology and intensive care medicine. Her clinical and scientific focus lies in COPD, alpha‑1 antitrypsin deficiency, and intensive care management.
"Sustainability is one of the major themes for the future. I joined the IRIS initiative because I believe that in inhalation therapy for respiratory diseases, sustainability aspects, specific medical considerations, and—above all—the interests of our patients must be comprehensively addressed. To view the topic holistically, we also need wellfounded education and a detailed exploration of the subject. I hope that the group can contribute significantly to this goal."
Alan Kaplan
Family Physician practicing in York Region, Ontario, Canada
Dr Kaplan is the Chairperson of the Family Physician Airways Group of Canada and is the medical director of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation program for the local health integration network. He co-chaired the Community Standards of COPD program for Health Quality Ontario.
"Ensuring access to inhaled respiratory medications is a key concern globally to those suffering from respiratory illness. We must consider how to preserve our world’s ecology, but not at the expense of making inhaled medication unavailable to those who require it in a format that works for them. pMDIs are the most commonly prescribed and utilized delivery device inhaler device and are uniquely suited to those at extremes of age and of illness. New propellants will ensure that the pMDI can continue to be used safely for both the patient and the environment. The safest inhaler is the one that can and will be used correctly."
Tonya Winders
President and Chief Executive Officer of Allergy & Asthma Network, US
Tonya Winders (MBA) is President and acting CEO of the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP), representing one billion people living with atopic & airways diseases. With over 25 years in the allergy & asthma industry, she serves on expert panels such as GINA international guidelines, and sits on the We CU board and serves in local ministry. She has authored 100+ peer-reviewed papers and advises AstraZeneca, Chiesi, Eli Lilly, GSK, Novartis, Roche, and Sanofi Regeneron.
"The greenest inhaler is one that a patient will use to maintain control of symptoms. It is essential for people to have treatment options that are safe for the individual & the planet. This is why I support the work of IRIS to achieve sustainability & ensure access to essential life saving medicines."
Richard Russell
Respiratory Consultant at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Dr Russell is currently a Clinical Reader at Kings College London and a Respiratory Consultant at the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. He is the Clinical Director of the West Hampshire Integrated Respiratory Service, looking after COPD and asthma for 2.5 million people. He is the Chair of the British Thoracic Society (BTS) Executive and Council and is active in Asthma+Lung UK. He obtained his PhD at Imperial College and is the founding Editor of the International Journal of COPD.
"As a clinician scientist I work daily with patients with serious lung diseases. In order to effectively deliver treatment to these patients it is essential that we have effective inhalers. Pressurized metered dose inhalers require propellants to deliver drugs to the lungs and these propellants need to be safe, effective and have a low impact on the environment. Next generation propellants satisfy these requirements but have been found to be in scope of EU PFAS restriction. This class approach does not consider individual compounds either in their true environmental impact or their utility to society. For many patients there is no alternative and in the loss of these new propellants we risk causing direct patient harm with the associated costs to society. It is clear that this issue needs to be carefully scrutinised and tested with a full understanding of impact and context."
Mohit Bhutani
​Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry University of Alberta, Canada
Prof Bhutani is a Professor of Medicine and the clinical director of the Asthma and COPD clinics at the University of Alberta. Nationally, he is the past Co-chair of the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) COPD Clinical Assembly and is a lead author of 2015,17,19 & 23 CTS COPD Pharmacotherapy Guidelines. He was elected to CTS Executive in 2020, was President of CTS from 2023-24 and Co-chair of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons Adult Respiratory Examination from 2017-23.
"Inhaler choice is part of the shared decision making between a clinician and a patient. Many factors such as efficacy, safety and environmental sustainability need to be considered. Ultimately, a healthier patient results in a healthier planet...that is a goal that we all must strive for."
Ema Paulino
Pharmacist and President of ANF, Portugal
​Ema Paulino completed her pharmaceutical sciences degree at the University of Lisbon. She is a practising pharmacist at her own community pharmacy in Portugal. She is General Manager of Ezfy, a company that engages community pharmacies in the implementation of Patient Support Programmes. She is President of the Portuguese National Association of Pharmacies (ANF).
"As a pharmacist, I see first-hand the critical role of access, education, and shared decision-making in ensuring patients can use their inhaled therapies safely, effectively, and sustainably. Medicines only achieve their purpose when patients understand and can adhere to them, and pharmacists are uniquely positioned to bridge that gap. Within IRIS, I am committed to supporting patients and healthcare professionals alike with practical, evidence-based guidance so that inhaled treatments remain accessible, clinically appropriate, and environmentally responsible for generations to come."
MeiLan Han
Professor of internal medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Michigan Health, US
Prof Han is a Professor of medicine and Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan Health. She serves on the scientific advisory committees for the COPD Foundation and American Lung Association.
"I am pleased to be a part of IRIS because inhaled medicines save lives and real patients must have access to inhaled medicines they can use safely and affordably. As a medical community, we must ensure continued access to inhalers that work for individual patients while accelerating the transition to truly low GWP propellants and advocating for evidence-based regulation that protects patients and the environment."