Methyl - sqad may not be a pharmacist, but he's been a senior clinician in the health service in his time, so don't make assumptions :-(
If this were posted in the Health topic rather than B&S, evian would see the health warning posted there, that the advice on here is no subsistute for seeing the patient's own doctor.
COPD is a serious and life-threatening condition, so please, evian - get him to see the GP, for your sake if not for his. All the adverts say that anyone with a cough for over 3 weeks should see the doc - use that as your excuse to get him to go, if you don't want him to know that you are aware about the COPD diagnosis.