Burden of illness among patients with asthma prescribed inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting β2-agonists

NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. 2025 Feb 26;35(1):10. doi: 10.1038/s41533-024-00402-w.

Abstract

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) plus long-acting β2-agonists (LABA) are recommended for maintenance-only or maintenance and reliever therapy (MART) in patients with asthma. However, real-world data on ICS/LABA as maintenance-only or MART are limited. This study characterized clinical, economic, and humanistic burdens of asthma in Canada, China, Europe, Japan, and the US, using data collected from patients and physicians via a cross-sectional survey (Asthma Disease Specific Programme). Patients were ≥18 years of age with physician-confirmed asthma and receiving fixed-dose ICS/LABA for ≥3 months. Mean physician-reported symptom-free days over the past 30 days ranged from 10.1-20.6 days, and 31.5-34.6% of ICS/LABA users self-reported not well-controlled asthma. SABA co-prescription was reported in 8.8-67.8% of patients. These findings highlight the continued disease burden among ICS/LABA users, with the high level of SABA co-prescription indicating potentially inappropriate prescribing of ICS/LABA as MART or detrimental reliance on SABA medication in addition to MART.

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Inhalation
  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones* / administration & dosage
  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones* / therapeutic use
  • Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists* / administration & dosage
  • Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists* / therapeutic use
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Asthma* / drug therapy
  • Cost of Illness*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists
  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents