In April 2019, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) (box 1) published new recommendations that might be considered the most fundamental change in asthma management in 30 years. The new recommendations follow a decade-long programme of work by GINA, prompted by concerns about the risks and consequences of the long-standing approach of commencing asthma treatment with short-acting β2-agonists (SABA) alone. These initiatives were aimed at obtaining evidence about effective treatment options for mild asthma and providing consistent messaging for patients and clinicians across the spectrum of asthma severity.