How would you treat a severe asthma patient?

SPIRIVA® Respimat® (tiotropium) is indicated as add-on maintenance bronchodilator treatment in patients aged 6 years and older with severe asthma who experienced one or more severe asthma exacerbations in the preceding year. In adult patients with severe asthma, tiotropium should be used in addition to inhaled corticosteroids (≥ 800μg budesonide/day or equivalent) and at least one controller.

About Severe Asthma

Severe asthma is a specific type of difficult-to-treat asthma in which patients struggle to control their symptoms and may experience frequent exacerbations despite maximal optimised treatment and effectively managed co-morbidities and contributory factors (such as therapy adherence and inhaler technique).1,2 These patients will usually be under the care of a specialist asthma clinic.3

Severe asthma is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, as well as treatment, psychological, and socioeconomic burdens.2,4

 

What is the impact of asthma in the UK?

Up to 79%

of patients with asthma are not well-controlled5

~4%

of the general asthma population are estimated to have severe asthma6

~200,000

people in the UK have severe asthma6

≥4x

cost to the NHS for severe asthma compared to the general asthma population7

How would you treat the following patient with uncontrolled severe asthma?

Male
Meet your adult patient
References
  1. Asthma UK. Slipping through the net: The reality facing patients with difficult and severe asthma. Available at: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-03/auk-severe-asthma-gh-final.pdf (accessed November 2023).
  2. Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention. Available at: https://ginasthma.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GINA-2023-Full-report-23_07_06-WMS.pdf (accessed November 2023).
  3. BTS/SIGN. British guideline on the management of asthma, 2019. Available at: www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/quality-improvement/guidelines/asthma/ (accessed November 2023).
  4. Wang E et al. Chest 2020;157(4):790–804.
  5. Asthma UK. Asthma Care in a Crisis: Annual Asthma Survey 2020. Available at: https://www.asthma.org.uk/7318608a/contentassets/3fd2bcc5be6a41f68b3280969eedbec3/aas-2020_2a-1.pdf (accessed November 2023).
  6. Asthma UK. What is severe asthma? Available at: https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/severe-asthma/what-is-severe-asthma/ (accessed November 2023).
  7. Kerkhof M et al. Thorax 2018;73:116–124.

PC-GB-106935 V2

November 2023

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