Medication Adherence Does Not Equal Health Care Savings, Improved Productivity

Uncontrolled asthma can have a significant impact on health care resource utilization and work productivity. Data estimates that the yearly cost of asthma in the United States is $56 billion including direct (ie, medications, hospitalizations) and indirect costs (ie, work productivity). Furthermore, all patients’ adherent to treatment may not achieve asthma control.

In a study presented at the 2017 AAAAI Annual Meeting, Jill R Davis, director, Health Economics and Outcomes Research, AstraZeneca, and colleagues described the health care and work productivity burden of individuals with asthma who are adherent to medium- or high-dose inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta2-agonist (ICS/LABA) treatment.

Cross-sectional data from three US Adelphi asthma surveys, conducted between 2013 to 2016, were analyzed in individuals diagnosed with asthma, prescribed treatment with medium- or high-dose ICA/LABA, and self-reported medium to high treatment adherence (using the eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale). A total of 629 physicians completed the patient record form for five patients with asthma each, recording health care resource utilization and treatment information. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire, including the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire.

The study included 428 patients (mean age 44 years, 62% female, and 70% were employed) who met the inclusion criteria. The researchers found that mean numbers of primary care and specialists visits for asthma in the last 12 months were 1.9 and 3.4, respectively. The mean numbers of asthma exacerbation in the past 12 months was 1.28, of which 15.1% required treatment in the emergency department or hospitalization. Of 422 patients, 153 (36.3%) experienced 2 exacerbations during the last 12 months. 

“Despite adherence to medium- or high-dosage ICS/LABA therapy, patients had considerable health care resource utilization and work impairment due to asthma, which suggests an unmet medical need in asthma management,” concluded the researchers. —Eileen Koutnik-Fotopoulos