Asthma is a respiratory condition marked by attacks of spasm in the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing. Effective asthma management requires a proactive, preventative approach. Routine follow-up visits for patients with active asthma are recommended, at a frequency of every one to six months, depending upon the severity of asthma. There exist a number of combination products containing a long-acting reliever to relieve ongoing symptoms, such as breathlessness and a tight chest, and a corticosteroid preventer which helps prevent inflammation in the airways over the long term. These treatments have been shown in previous studies to be similarly effective in treating asthma symptoms and preventing inflammation. This study aims to determine whether the number of asthma-related GP visits, number of hospitalisations and the amount of usage of other respiratory medications differs between these treatments. The findings will help to determine which of these treatments has the lower impact on the healthcare system.
The objective of this study is to compare healthcare utilisation between patients with asthma who switched from Seretide Evohaler to flutiform versus those who switched from Seretide Evohaler to Fostair in both the primary healthcare setting, and the secondary care setting. This study will be conducted using a retrospective cohort design using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) linked with Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). The CPRD will be used for comparisons in primary care, looking at the number of asthma-related GP visits pre- and post-switch for both treatment arms, as well as the number of prescriptions for short-acting beta agonists (SABA), oral steroids and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) data will be used for comparisons in secondary care, looking at the number of asthma-related hospitalisations pre- and post-switch for both treatment arms. In addition, the factors described above will be stratified by the dose from which patients switched, and the dose to which they switched (where sufficient patients exist).
Outcomes of interest captured in the primary care setting will include: Number/average number of prescriptions of SABA usage, Number/average number of prescriptions of oral steroid usage, Number/average number of prescriptions of ICS usage, Number/average number of asthma-related GP visits. Outcomes of interest captured in the secondary care setting will include: Number/average number of asthma-related hospital visits, by type of visit.
Catrina Richards - Chief Investigator - IQVIA Ltd ( UK )
Catrina Richards - Corresponding Applicant - IQVIA Ltd ( UK )
Alison Young - Collaborator - Napp Pharmaceutical Group
Caroline O'Leary - Collaborator - IQVIA Ltd ( UK )
Janette McQuillan - Collaborator - IQVIA ( IMS Health ) France
HES Admitted Patient Care;HES Outpatient