SABINA: an overview of short-acting β2-agonist use in asthma in European countries
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Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Introduction
Globally, individuals with asthma tend to overrely on short-acting β2-agonists (SABAs) and underuse inhaled corticosteroids, thereby undertreating the underlying inflammation. Such relief-seeking behavior has been reinforced by long-standing treatment guidelines, which until recently recommended SABA-only use for immediate symptom relief. We aimed to describe the current burden of SABA use among European individuals with asthma within the SABA use IN Asthma (SABINA) program.
Methods
Prescription and/or dispensing data during 2006–2017 from electronic medical records and/or national patient registries in the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden were analyzed. Individuals aged at least 12 years old with a current asthma diagnosis and no other chronic respiratory conditions were included. Asthma treatment step and severity were based on treatment guidelines in use in each individual country. The proportion of individuals prescribed SABA was measured during a 12-month period. SABA overuse was defined as at least three SABA canisters per year.
Results
More than one million individuals with asthma were included across five European countries. Overall, the majority of individuals were over 45 years of age, except in Sweden (mean age 27.6 years) where individuals aged over 45 years were excluded to avoid a potential chronic obstructive pulmonary disease co-diagnosis. The study population was predominantly female (55–64%), except in the UK (46%). The prevalence of SABA overuse was 9% in Italy, 16% in Germany, 29% in Spain, 30% in Sweden, and 38% in the UK. In the UK, SABA overuse was greater in individuals with moderate-to-severe asthma versus individuals with mild asthma (58% versus 27%, respectively), while SABA overuse was similar in individuals with both mild (9–32%) and moderate-to-severe (8–31%) asthma in the other European countries.
Conclusions
The findings of this study from the SABINA program show that SABA overuse (at least three canisters per year) is common across Europe, despite the different healthcare and reimbursement policies of each country.
Globally, individuals with asthma tend to overrely on short-acting β2-agonists (SABAs) and underuse inhaled corticosteroids, thereby undertreating the underlying inflammation. Such relief-seeking behavior has been reinforced by long-standing treatment guidelines, which until recently recommended SABA-only use for immediate symptom relief. We aimed to describe the current burden of SABA use among European individuals with asthma within the SABA use IN Asthma (SABINA) program.
Methods
Prescription and/or dispensing data during 2006–2017 from electronic medical records and/or national patient registries in the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden were analyzed. Individuals aged at least 12 years old with a current asthma diagnosis and no other chronic respiratory conditions were included. Asthma treatment step and severity were based on treatment guidelines in use in each individual country. The proportion of individuals prescribed SABA was measured during a 12-month period. SABA overuse was defined as at least three SABA canisters per year.
Results
More than one million individuals with asthma were included across five European countries. Overall, the majority of individuals were over 45 years of age, except in Sweden (mean age 27.6 years) where individuals aged over 45 years were excluded to avoid a potential chronic obstructive pulmonary disease co-diagnosis. The study population was predominantly female (55–64%), except in the UK (46%). The prevalence of SABA overuse was 9% in Italy, 16% in Germany, 29% in Spain, 30% in Sweden, and 38% in the UK. In the UK, SABA overuse was greater in individuals with moderate-to-severe asthma versus individuals with mild asthma (58% versus 27%, respectively), while SABA overuse was similar in individuals with both mild (9–32%) and moderate-to-severe (8–31%) asthma in the other European countries.
Conclusions
The findings of this study from the SABINA program show that SABA overuse (at least three canisters per year) is common across Europe, despite the different healthcare and reimbursement policies of each country.
Date Issued
2020-03
Date Acceptance
2020-01-15
Citation
Advances in Therapy, 2020, 37, pp.1124-1135
ISSN
0741-238X
Publisher
Springer (part of Springer Nature)
Start Page
1124
End Page
1135
Journal / Book Title
Advances in Therapy
Volume
37
Copyright Statement
© 2020 The Author(s). Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12325-020-01233-0
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Research & Experimental Medicine
Europe
Overreliance
Prescription
Public health
Short-acting beta(2)-agonist
BETA-AGONIST USE
BUDESONIDE-FORMOTEROL
MEDICATION USE
MAINTENANCE
INAPPROPRIATE
PATTERNS
THERAPY
DRUG
Europe
Overreliance
Prescription
Public health
Short-acting β2-agonist
General Clinical Medicine
1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2020-01-24