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Severe asthma patients require more support, Novartis study suggests

pharmafile | June 19, 2017 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing Novartis, asthma 

A new study from Novartis has indicated that patients suffering from severe asthma still do not get adequate support to mitigate the burden placed by the disease on their personal and professional lives, despite the availability of inhaled and oral treatments.

The ‘Still fighting for breath’ study surveyed 904 sufferers of severe asthma and found that 74% of this number required the attention of a medical or healthcare professional as a result of a serious asthma attack over the duration of the trial, while 32% experienced at least three such attacks in the same time period.

It was found that 54% of sufferers recovered physically from these attacks within 24 hours, it was found that patients often felt psychological effects as a result of the events for much longer afterwards, with 19% affected for up to a week.

The study also highlighted a clear division between asthma control on a ‘real life’ and ‘perceived’ levels, with 46% of patients identifying as in control of their illness. According to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) clinical guidelines, only 6% of patients would be deemed to be in the group.

“The results from this new survey are important as the data demonstrate that too many patients in Europe are living with the daily burden of uncontrolled severe asthma. As such, this patient population may be significantly under-served”, said Professor Antonella Muraro, one of the authors of the survey. “More needs to be done and the first step is to bridge the gap between the perceptions of ‘good’ control vs reality, among people with asthma. We need to focus greater efforts on empowering and educating those living with asthma to fight for better outcomes and to help them achieve a life unrestricted by their condition.” 

In response to the findings, Novartis now plans to launch ‘Billions breaths’, a new support programme for asthma patients which will offer goals and advice to reduce the day-to-day burden of the disease.

Matt Fellows

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