Cost a barrier for life-saving asthma treatments, according to new study

The new study indicates that the costs borne by many people prevent them from taking essential medicines for asthma.

A new study found that half of adults and one-third of children with asthma did not receive any essential treatment because of non-reimbursable fees.

A team of researchers led by the George Institute for Global Health and the Woolbad Institute of Medical Research surveyed 1,400 asthmatics (asthmatic adults and parents of children with asthma) in Australia and found that half of adults and one-third children participating in the study decreased or skipped doses of asthma medications to make them last longer.

Principal Investigator Tracey-Lea Laba, of the George Institute, said the results published in the journal JACI: In practice were particularly worrying as about two-thirds of adults and children had poorly controlled asthma symptoms.

"Asthma affects about one in nine Australians and is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world.We know that preventative inhalers can be extremely effective in controlling symptoms and preventing people to be hospitalized or even to die of asthma, but our study found that personal expenses were preventing Australians from gaining access to lifesaving drugs. "

The most commonly prescribed preventative treatments for asthma contain inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) which, if taken regularly, reduce the severity of the disease and the number of asthma-related deaths. Unlike many other countries, Australia has a national drug subsidy program through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), but most patients still benefit from a copayment. In Australia, patients with health care cards (retired, unemployed, single parents, and people with long-term disabilities) pay $ 6.50 per prescription. All others (about 40% of asthmatics) pay up to 40.30 dollars.

The study, funded by the National Board of Health and Medical Research (NHMRC), NPS MedicineWise and Asthma Australia, found that the costs of care prompted many people to skip or reduce doses for prolong the duration of the drugs. Young adult men were the most likely to underuse asthma treatments. This was compounded by the fact that general practitioners were largely unaware that direct costs were a major concern for many of their patients, or that some preventionists had lower costs for patients than others.

Main conclusions

• 52.9% of adults and 34.3% of parents reported underutilizing treatments because of their cost.
• Three-quarters of children and adults had asthma symptoms that were partially or poorly controlled.
• About 40% of adult asthmatics had not used a CSI drug in the previous year, despite Australian recommendations that it be taken by almost all adults with asthma.
• 45% of adults and 64% of children had needed urgent health treatment for their asthma the previous year.
• Although income differences do not appear to be a determinant of underutilization, an underclbad of "working poor families" with children with asthma has been identified as having higher levels of underutilized drugs for children. # 39; asthma.

Professor Helen Reddel, of the Woolbad Institute, stated that it was clear that prescription costs were confusing for many asthmatics people in Australia.

"It all adds up and a prescription costs $ 40, it's a lot of money for a reduced budget. So you can begin to understand why so many people with asthma do not take preventive medications properly or not at all.

"But asthma is a long-term illness in which you must actually control inflammation by taking a preventive medication and not just relieve the short-term symptoms of a blue inhaler. We need doctors to talk to their patients to insist that this dressing approach does not work and can leave them hospitalized or even worse. "

The document calls for urgent interventions to promote discussions between patients and their GPs about the cost of drugs, including the availability of less costly preventive treatments.