New drug combo to fight against asthma
Asthma sufferers who have difficulty controlling their symptoms now have another treatment option.
Afflicting some 235 million people across the globe, asthma continues to pose a significant public health concern.
Dr Abdul Razak: ‘Close to half of surveyed patients find the use of inhalers inconvenient. This, combined with poor inhaler use technique, leads to poor asthma control.’ Photo: Filepic
In Malaysia, an estimated 3.4% of the population suffer from the condition, many of whom experience a compromised quality of life or increased risk of mortality due to non-compliance to medication and asthma mismanagement.
In recognition of this, Mundipharma Malaysia introduced a new combination treatment for asthma, consisting of fluticasone (an inhaled corticosteroid) and formoterol (a long-acting 2-agonist), that provides rapid yet sustained control of asthma for asthma suffers.
These two asthma medications are now combined in a single, innovative aerosol inhaler.
Underestimating asthma
Senior consultant chest physician and director of Institute Respiratory Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Dr Abdul Razak Abdul Muttalif said, “Findings from the REALISE Asia survey found Malaysians to be complacent about their asthma management. In fact, 41% do not see the need for taking medication regularly, especially if they are not experiencing asthma symptoms or attacks.
“Many patients do not realise that the likelihood of asthma attacks can be significantly reduced simply by using their inhalers regularly. Lapse in medication adherence can be attributed to the fact that patients consistently underestimate the seriousness of their condition until the onset of severe symptoms.
“Close to half of surveyed patients find the use of inhalers inconvenient. This, combined with poor inhaler use technique, leads to poor asthma control.
“Hence, there exists a need for medication that is not only fast-acting and effective, but also easy to use.”
The REALISE Asia (REcognise Asthma and LInk to Symptoms and Experiences) survey, sponsored by Mundipharma and developed in partnership with asthma experts, is a survey of asthma patients in Asia that aimed to assess patient attitudes and behaviours towards their disease.
The survey was conducted with 2,467 people suffering from asthma aged 18-50 across eight Asian countries.
In order to take part in the survey, respondents must have received at least two prescriptions for their asthma in the past two years and also had to be active on social media.
Drug delivery
Delivering medicine straight to the lungs is crucial for asthma management. In line with this, the delivery device for the drug combo has been improved. It is capable of delivering a consistently high fine particle fraction of medication that leads to higher %age of the medicine depositing into the lungs, including the small airways.
In addition, the device also provides a colour-coded, patient-facing dose counter to track medicine intake.
The drug combo is available in three dose strengths, which gives doctors the flexibility in selecting and adjusting appropriate doses for their patients, depending on their asthma severity and level of control.
Prof David Price, professor of primary care respiratory medicine, University of Aberdeen, affirms that the combination of fluticasone and formoterol phase III trials has shown encouraging results in delivering efficacy and safety compared with its individual components administered alone or concurrently via two separate inhalers.
Prof Price believes that the overall burden of asthma and patients’ quality of life can be improved with effective long-term therapy. – The Star
Category: Features, Pharmaceuticals
