Conclusion
With the rapid spread of COVID-19 at a pandemic scale, we are
overwhelmed and drowned with a wealth of information. A global fight to
contain the pandemic has started in which we need international
solidarity and prompt sharing of accurate scientific information. We
strongly support the implementation of an open data concept for all
COVID-19 studies, which should be performed with full transparency. A
global strategy to reduce the burden of COVID-19 must be established. It
is well known that these action plans can only be successful by
combining efforts from stakeholders: WHO, governments, researchers,
physicians, patient organizations, economists, pharmacists, industry,
and policy makers. There is a pressing need to develop and implement
global and regional COVID-19 guidelines on all aspect of this disease.
The EAACI has immediately taken action on disseminating knowledge and
developing official statements44,108,116,118 on how to
handle allergy and asthma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. As
evidence on the epidemiology, course and treatment of the disease is
exponentially increasing, all the recommendations made by EAACI need to
be regularly updated and amended in line with up-coming evidence.
Authorship: CA, RJS, CR, PC and MG conceptualized and designed
the structure of the manuscript. CA, RJS, CR, PC, MG and DA prepared
figures and tables. All the authors contributed to the manuscript,
revised and edited. CR, RJS and CA orchestrated the whole process and
conducted the final editing.
Financial support: MCvZ, is supported by an NHMRC Senior
Research Fellowship (GNT1117687); IEG is supported by the
Instituto de Salud Carlos III from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and
Competitiveness through the ”Juan Rodes” funding scheme for IEG
(JR19/0029); RJS is supported by Ministerio de Economía y
Competitividad (IJCI-2016-27619).
Conflicts of interest : IA serves as associate editor
of Allergy. JB reports personal fees from Chiesi, Cipla, Hikma,
Menarini, Mundipharma, Mylan, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, Takeda, Teva,
Uriach, KYomed-Innov and Purina, outside the submitted work; DCis an employee of a Clinical Research Organization; ZD reports
that in the past 3 years has acted as Executive and Scientific Medical
Director at a phase I/II pharmacological unit (QPS-NL), which performs
clinical studies for pharmaceutical companies; received honoraria,
consultancy and speaker fees from Acucort, Astrazeneca, ALK, Aquilon,
Boehringer Ingelheim, CSL, HAL Allergy, MSD, Sanofi-Genzyme; TEreports grants from DBV, Innovation fund Denmark, CIHR, Regeneron; TE is
the Co-I or scientific lead in three investigator initiated oral
immunotherapy trials including the usage of biologicals supported by the
Allergy and Anaphylaxis Program, Sickkids, and CIHR; TE serves as
associate editor for Allergy and is on the advisory board for ALK;WF , reports grants and personal fees from Sanofi, Novartis, and
grants from GSK, Mylan, ALK and Allergy Therapeutics, outside the
submitted work; SLJ reports personal fees from Virtus
Respiratory Research, Myelo Therapeutics GmbH, Concert Pharmaceuticals,
Bayer, Synairgen, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, Gerson Lehrman
Group, resTORbio, Bioforce, Materia Medical Holdings, PrepBio Pharma,
Pulmotect, Virion Health, Lallemand Pharma, AstraZeneca, outside the
submitted work; SLJ has these patents: Wark PA, Johnston SL, Holgate ST,
Davies DE. Anti-virus therapy for respiratory diseases. UK patent
application No. GB 0405634.7, 12 March 2004. with royalties paid; Wark
PA, Johnston SL, Holgate ST, Davies DE. Interferon-Beta for Anti-Virus
Therapy for Respiratory Diseases. International Patent Application No.
PCT/ GB05/50031, 12 March 2004. with royalties paid; Davies DE, Wark PA,
Holgate ST, Johnston SL. Interferon Lambda therapy for the treatment of
respiratory disease. UK patent application No. 6779645.9, granted 15th
August 2012. licensed; MJ reports personal fees from
ALK-Abello, Allergopharma, Stallergenes, Anergis, Allergy Therapeutics,
Circassia, Leti, Biomay and HAL during the conduct of the study;
personal fees from Astra-Zeneka, GSK, Novartis, Teva, Vectura, UCB,
Takeda, Roche, Janssen, MedImmune and Chiesi, outside the submitted
work; LK reports grants and personal fees from Allergopharma,
MEDA/Mylan, Sanofi, LETI Pharma; personal fees from HAL Allergie and
Allergy Therapeut; grants from ALK Abelló, Stallergenes, Quintiles, ASIT
biotech, Lofarma, AstraZeneca, GSK and Inmunotek outside the submitted
work; is a member of AeDA, DGHNO, Deutsche Akademie für Allergologie und
klinische Immunologie, HNO-BV GPA and EAACI; LOM reports
personal fees from AHL and grants from GSK outside the submitted work;KN , reports grants from National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE),
End Allergies Together (EAT), Allergenis, and Ukko Pharma; Grant awardee
at NIAID, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS),
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA); is involved in Clinical trials with Regeneron,
Genentech, Aimmune Therapeutics, DBV Technologies, AnaptysBio, Adare
Pharmaceuticals, and Stallergenes-Greer; Research Sponsorship by
Novartis, Sanofi, Astellas, Nestle; Data and Safety Monitoring Board
member at Novartis and NHLBI; Cofounded Before Brands, Alladapt, ForTra,
and Iggenix; Chief Intellectual Office at FARE, Director of the World
Allergy Organization (WAO) Center of Excellence at Stanford, Personal
fees from Regeneron, AstraZeneca, ImmuneWorks, and Cour Pharmaceuticals;
Consultant and Advisory Board Member at Ukko, Before Brands, Alladapt,
IgGenix, Probio, Vedanta, Centecor, Seed, Novartis, NHBLI, EPA, National
Scientific Committee of ITN and NIH Programs; US patents (patent numbers
62/647,389; 62/119,014; 12/610,940, 12/686,121, 10/064,936, 62/767,444;
application numbers S10-392); OP reports grants and personal
fees from ALK-Abelló, Allergopharma, Stallergenes Greer, HAL Allergy
Holding B.V./HAL Allergie GmbH, Bencard Allergie GmbH/Allergy
Therapeutics, Lofarma, ASIT Biotech Tools S.A., Laboratorios LETI/LETI
Pharma, Anergis S.A.; grants from Biomay and Circassia; personal fees
from MEDA Pharma/MYLAN, Mobile Chamber Experts (a GA2LEN Partner),
Indoor Biotechnologies, Glaxo Smith Kline, personal fees from Astellas
Pharma Global, EUFOREA, ROXALL, NOVARTIS, SANOFI AVENTIS, Med Update
Europe GmbH, streamedup! GmbH, outside the submitted work; JSreports personal fees from MYLAN and F2F events, outside the submitted
work; and industry support to educational activities of the Scottish
Allergy and Respiratory Academy and of the Children’s and Young people’s
Allergy Networtk Scotland; industry support to EAACI; JS serves as EAACI
Secretary General (2019-2021); MSo reports grants from Swiss
National Science Foundation and GSK, outside the submitted work;CA reports grants from Allergopharma, Idorsia, Swiss National
Science Foundation, Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and
Education, European Commission’s Horizon’s 2020 Framework Programme,
Cure, Novartis Research Institutes, Astra Zeneca, Scibase, Glakso
Smith-Kline and other from Sanofi & Regeneron. All other
authors have no conflict of interest within the scope of the submitted
work.
Acknowledgements : The authors thank the European Academy of
Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) for the support to the Junior
Member Assembly (JMA), the sections, interest groups and working groups
that enabled the generation of this paper. The authors recognize Dr.
Anna Globinska for graphic design and Dr. Laura Alberch for a critical
review of the manuscript.