AstraZeneca supports new global recommendations on asthma care

GINA Pocket Guide for Asthma Management and Prevention recommends low dose inhaled corticosteroid and formoterol combination across asthma severities

12 April 2019

AstraZeneca welcomes the new 2019 GINA Pocket Guide for Asthma Management and Prevention which recommends the use of low dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-formoterol combination therapy as-needed as the preferred reliever therapy across all asthma severities. Short-acting beta-2 agonist (SABA) monotherapy as-needed is no longer recommended as a preferred reliever therapy.¹

GINA (the Global Initiative for Asthma) was established to increase awareness about asthma among health professionals, public health authorities and the community, and to improve prevention and management through a coordinated worldwide effort.¹ GINA aims to translate scientific evidence into improved asthma care and make recommendations for clinical practice.²

Alex de Giorgio-Miller, Therapy Area Vice President, Respiratory, Global Medical Affairs said: “AstraZeneca welcomes the new 2019 GINA guidance which recommends low dose ICS-formoterol as-needed as the preferred reliever therapy to reduce the risk of serious asthma attacks. With more than 176 million asthma attacks experienced each year, people with asthma require treatment approaches that address the inflammatory nature of the disease.”

The 2019 GINA recommendations change decades of asthma care. SABA reliever therapy is routinely prescribed by physicians and relied upon by patients for symptom relief. However, use of a SABA inhaler during or after a worsening of asthma symptoms does not address the underlying inflammation,³ leaving patients at risk of asthma attacks. The preferred reliever recommendation is now a combination of an ICS (an anti-inflammatory therapy) to address the underlying inflammation, and the long-acting beta-2 agonist (LABA), formoterol, which has a fast onset of action.^1,4 These recommendations are for adults and adolescents with asthma.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About asthma

Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease, and it affects the health and day-to-day lives of as many as 339 million adults and children worldwide.⁵ It is characterised by recurrent breathlessness and wheezing which varies over time, and which varies in severity and frequency from person to person.⁶

Asthma is a chronic, variable inflammatory disease and all patients are at risk of severe asthma attacks regardless of their disease severity, adherence to treatment or level of control.^4,7,8 Asthma patients are frequently under-prescribed or they under-use anti-inflammatory ‘preventer’ therapy and instead over-rely on SABA reliever therapy which can mask a worsening of symptoms.^{9,10,11,12,13} 

About AstraZeneca in Respiratory Disease

Respiratory is one of AstraZeneca’s main therapy areas, and our medicines reached more than 18 million patients as maintenance therapy in 2018. AstraZeneca’s aim is to transform asthma and COPD treatment through inhaled combinations at the core of care, biologics for the unmet needs of specific patient populations, and scientific advancements in disease modification.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism and Respiratory. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information, please visit astrazeneca.com and follow us on Twitter @AstraZeneca.

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