Extract
Eligibility criteria for a biologic treatment for severe asthma include poor disease control despite a full medication plan according to Global Initiative for Asthma steps 4–5 [1]. Adherence to inhaled therapy should be verified as part of that prescription requirement [2]. In fact, it has been demonstrated that poor adherence is a major cause of uncontrolled asthma, regardless of its severity [3]. Furthermore, biologics do not exert a disease-modifying effect [4]; in contrast to allergen immunotherapy, which is able to permanently modulate the way the immune system reacts to allergens beyond the immunotherapy treatment course [5], biologic therapy withdrawal usually leads to asthma relapse [4]. Thus, a low adherence rate to inhaled treatment in patients undergoing biologic therapy raises some issues related to sustainability.
Abstract
Less than half of severe asthmatic patients show a >80% adherence rate to inhaled treatment just before and during biologic therapy. This has implications in biologic treatment sustainability and disease prevalence estimation. http://bit.ly/3cRTJB0
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: M. Caminati has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: A. Vianello has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: M. Andretta has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: A.M. Menti has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: S. Tognella has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: L. Degli Esposti has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: C. Micheletto has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: C. Bovo has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: G. Senna has nothing to disclose.
- Received January 12, 2020.
- Accepted March 7, 2020.
- Copyright ©ERS 2020
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