Asthma is a major public health problem affecting more than 8% of the adults and 12% of children in Canada. The role of pharmacotherapy in treating and managing asthma is well established, with medications falling into two broad categories of controllers and relievers. For the majority of asthma patients, with proper use of a controller, the need for reliever medication is minimal. However, how asthma is actually managed on a daily basis may not reflect guideline recommendations.
Data access has been approved for a study which will attempt to document the 'real world' pattern of reliever/controller medications and evaluate their use in relation to adverse asthma outcomes.
“Poor adherence to controller therapies often results in disproportionate use of relievers which do not address the underlying pathology of asthma,” according to Dr. Mohsen Sadatsafavi, Assistant Professor in the Division of Respiratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia.
“By documenting real-world patterns, this study can inform both clinical practice and policy about a potentially preventable source of excess asthma burden.”
PopData will link BC Ministry of Health, BC Vital Statistics Agency and PharmaNet data for the project.
The study is sponsored by AstraZeneca Canada*.
*In accordance with policies for industry funding, the study is conducted at arm’s length from the industry sponsor and no industry sponsor employees, contractors or agents are part of the study team. The industry sponsor has no influence on study direction or analysis, and the industry sponsor has no access to data, other than final published results.
