Conflict of interest: N. Roche reports grants and personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis and Pfizer, personal fees from Teva, GSK, AstraZeneca, Chiesi, Mundipharma, Sanofi, Sandoz, 3M, Zambon and Trudell, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: A. Anzueto reports personal fees for consultancy from GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: S. Bosnic Anticevich reports personal fees for advisory board work from TEVA, personal fees for consultancy from GSK and MEDA, grants from TEVA, personal fees for lectures from TEVA, GSK and AstraZeneca, personal fees for manuscript preparation from MEDA, personal fees for educational activities from GSK, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: A. Kaplan reports grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer, personal fees from Covis, GSK, Sanofi, Merck Frosst, Novartis, Purdue, Teva, Trudel, Novo Nordisk and Griffols, during the conduct of the study. Conflict of interest: M. Miravitlles reports personal fees for lectures from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, Cipla, Menarini, Rovi, Bial, Zambon, CSL Behring, Grifols and Novartis, personal fees for consultancy from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, GlaxoSmithKline, Bial, Gebro Pharma, CSL Behring, Laboratorios Esteve, Ferrer, Mereo Biopharma, Verona Pharma, TEVA, pH Pharma, Novartis and Grifols, grants from GlaxoSmithKline and Grifols, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: D. Ryan reports personal fees for advisory board work from GSK, BI and Novartis, personal fees for lectures and advisory board work from AZ, personal fees for lectures and meeting attendance from MEDA, outside the submitted work; and was previous president of REG, current vice president of REG and consultant strategic medical adviser, Optimum Patient Care. Conflict of interest: J.B. Soriano participated in speaking activities, advisory committees and consultancies during the period 2014–2019 sponsored by: Almirall, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chest, Chiesi, ERS, GEBRO, Grifols, GSK, Linde, Lipopharma, Mundipharma, Novartis, Pfizer, RiRL, Rovi, Sandoz, SEPAR and Takeda. Conflict of interest: O. Usmani reports grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and Chiesi, grants from GlaxoSmithKline and Edmond Pharma, personal fees from Aerocrine, Napp, Mundipharma, Sandoz, Takeda, Zentiva and Cipla, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: N. Papadopoulos reports personal fees for advisory board work and lectures from Novartis, Nutricia, HAL, MENARINI/FAES FARMA and MYLAN/MEDA, personal fees for lectures from SANOFI, BIOMAY, MSD, ASIT BIOTECH and Boehringer Ingelheim, personal fees for advisory board work from AstraZeneca and GSK, grants from Gerolymatos International SA and Capricare, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: G.W. Canonica has nothing to disclose.