Optimising asthma care for patients and the planet

Asthma is one of the most common chronic non-communicable diseases, affecting approximately 262 million people worldwide and causing more than 450,000 deaths each year, most of which are preventable.^1,2 Additionally, an estimated 136 million exacerbations occur worldwide each year.³ These figures show that asthma is a serious and often poorly managed disease and that many people are living with uncontrolled asthma.

This year, the Global Initiative on Asthma (GINA) stressed the need to provide proper education to asthma patients to manage the disease and make them aware of when to seek medical help as part of asthma prevention. “Asthma education is empoweringWorld Asthma Day Campaign.^Four AstraZeneca is firmly committed to working with the respiratory community around the world to promote education and awareness among patients, healthcare professionals and policy makers about key issues affecting asthma patients, including under- and inaccurate diagnosis, inappropriate medicine use and lack of patient recognition of the need for specialist evaluation and further management.^Four We have an audacious goal: to eliminate asthma attacks and improve patient outcomes while reducing the environmental impact of asthma treatment.^Five

One example of this commitment is our collaboration with the International Primary Care Respiratory Group on “Treat Asthma Right,” a global social movement aimed at disrupting the status quo in asthma treatment. Now launched in 24 countries around the world, the programme provides general practitioners (GPs), pharmacists, nurses, patients and other frontline healthcare professionals with the tools they need to explore better solutions for asthma management, and in the process improve outcomes for asthma patients.⁶

We also contribute to efforts to address structural and policy gaps in the health system. Severe asthma is a distinctive and debilitating condition that accounts for up to 10% of asthma cases.⁷ Accounts for at least 50% of the total costs of asthma^8,9 A Canadian study found the risk is 10 times higher than for mild asthma.^Ten Because there is a lack of awareness of what appropriate care should look like for people with severe asthma, patients often face delays in diagnosis and referral.^7,11 We have helped develop health system quality standards for severe asthma that have served as a blueprint for improving referral pathways, ensuring adequate specialist resources, and increasing access to guideline-based care.¹²

Good asthma control has benefits for both the patient and the carbon footprint of treatment.

The climate crisis, pollution and other environmental factors contribute to the burden of chronic respiratory diseases, including asthma.^13,14 At the same time, caring for millions of people with these conditions has environmental implications.¹⁵

Respiratory diseases like asthma are complex, difficult to treat, and often poorly controlled.^16,17 And that leads to an increase in the carbon footprint of care.^15,18 Around half of people with asthma in the UK, Europe and the US have poorly controlled asthma.^15,19 For asthma patients in low- and middle-income countries, this figure rises to an astounding 90%, significantly increasing the risk of hospitalization, serious illness and healthcare costs.²⁰ When asthma is not adequately controlled, morbidity and healthcare resource utilization increase.¹⁵ Optimizing care by implementing evidence-based guidelines into clinical practice may reduce symptom exacerbations and improve patient outcomes, potentially reducing the overall carbon footprint associated with asthma care.^15,21,22

We are committed to advancing asthma care through partnerships and innovation

As a leader in respiratory care, we are combining our efforts to improve outcomes to reduce the carbon footprint of care with our commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of medicines. Recently, we accelerated the development of an inhaled respiratory medicine using an innovative next-generation propellant with near-zero global warming potential (99.9% lower than current medicines).^Five The first launch is scheduled for after 2025, subject to regulatory approval.