Combination inhalers have long been prescribed to asthmatics to help manage their condition, but an alarming new study claims the devices may not actually provide effective health benefits.
With more than 334 million people living with asthma around the world, the latest findings could change the way the lung issue is treated in the future. New research published in the Australian Prescriber Journal says combination inhalers increase the cost of treatment for people living with asthma and other breathing problems, but aren’t any more effective than basic anti-inflammatory inhalers.
Most adults and adolescents with asthma require an anti-inflammatory preventer (corticosteroid) inhaler. These prevent symptoms and flare-ups if taken regularly and correctly. Most of these benefits are obtained at low doses.
However, most Australian asthmatics are being prescribed combination inhalers that contain both corticosteroid and moderate or high doses of a long-acting beta2 agonist. The research argues these types of inhalers actually increase the cost of treatment for both patients and the government and claims they often don’t provide additional benefits when compared to simple preventer inhalers.
Researcher Professor Helen Reddel from the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research says doctors and health professionals need to be aware of the differences in inhalers and offer cheaper and more effective solutions to patients.
“As clinicians, we need to be aware of the contribution out-of-pocket costs have to patients’ day-to-day adherence to treatment, and to know the cost implications of what we prescribe,” Professor Reddel says.
“For some patients, offering a more affordable option may make the difference between their choosing to take a regular preventer inhaler, and ‘making do’ with a reliever alone, with the attendant risk of worse outcomes.”
Researchers added that patients may not always feel comfortable discussing high costs with doctors, with pharmacists regularly observing customers making cost-cutting decisions at the point of sale.
One in nine Australians currently live with asthma, meaning the conditions impacts around 2.5 million people around the country. Asthma Australia reports that Asthma costs the country $655 million a year. Prescription pharmaceuticals accounts for half of those costs, with 30 per cent being spent on out-of-hospital medical services and an additional 20 per cent on admitted patient costs.
The latest stats from 2015 claim that 421 people died of asthma-related illnesses in 2015, accounting for 1.5 per cent of total deaths in Australia.
Starts at 60 has reached out to the researchers of the study and is awaiting comment.