Earlier Intervention in Severe Asthma: A Policy Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight
Advocates call for political will to implement existing tools and evidence for better severe asthma care
Hızlı Bakış
- This advocacy piece argues for earlier intervention in severe asthma treatment, citing that existing tools, clear evidence, and expert consensus already exist but political will is lacking.
- Earlier biologic therapy could reduce avoidable healthcare use, lower steroid-related harm, improve quality of life, support workforce participation, and align with sustainability goals.
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This is a sponsored political advertisement by AstraZeneca advocating for earlier initiation of biologic therapies for severe asthma patients. The piece references multiple academic sources and suggests that delays in specialist referral and biologic initiation lead to preventable harm.
Earlier intervention in severe asthma reduces avoidable healthcare use, lowers steroid-related harm, improves quality of life, supports workforce participation, and aligns with sustainability goals. The tools already exist. The evidence is clear. Expert consensus is in place. What remains is the political will to move from agreement to action.
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Asthma UK. Slipping through the net: the reality facing patients with difficult and severe asthma. Available at: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-03/auk-severe-asthma-gh-final.pdf. Accessed July 2025.
Bourdin A, Taube C, Dominguez-Ortega J, et al. Modelling the healthcare burden of oral corticosteroid use in France, Spain, and Germany. Revue Française d'Allergologie. 2025;65:104372.
Mayers I, Randhawa AK, Qian C, et al. Rate of admission and readmission to the ED among patients with severe asthma. Abstract presented at: European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress 2024. European Respiratory Journal. 2024;64(Suppl 68):OA4584. doi:10.1183/13993003.congress-2024.OA4584.
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Haughney J, et al. Global quality standard for identification and management of severe asthma. Advances in Therapy. 2020;37:3645-3659.
Scelo G, Torres-Duque CA, Maspero J, et al. Analysis of comorbidities and multimorbidity in adult patients in the International Severe Asthma Registry. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 2024;132(1):42-53.
Urrutia I, Resler G. How real patients with severe asthma experience their disease: An ethnographic study. Atención Primaria Práctica. 2020;2(4-5).
Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). GINA Severe Asthma Guide 2024. Fontana, WI, USA: Global Initiative for Asthma; 2024. Available at: https://ginasthma.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GINA-Severe-Asthma-Guide-2024-WEB-WMS.pdf. Accessed February 13, 2026.
Bhutani M, Winders T, Price D, et al. A time‑clocked care pathway on severe asthma: a global consensus by Delphi methodology. Abstract presented at: European Respiratory Society Congress; 2025. European Respiratory Journal. 2025;66(Suppl 69):PA1414. doi:10.1183/13993003.congress-2025.PA1414.
Stanley B, Chapaneri J, Khezrian M, et al. Predicting risk of morbidities associated with oral corticosteroid prescription for asthma. Pragmatic and Observational Research. 2025;16:95–109. doi:10.2147/POR.S484146.
Price D, Blakey J, Busby J, Chung LP, Hew M, Hu N, et al. Time from initial referral for specialist care until biologic therapy prescription for patients with severe uncontrolled asthma. Abstract presented at: European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress; 2025. European Respiratory Journal. 2025;66(Suppl 69).
Menzies-Gow A et al. A renewed charter: key principles to improve patient care in severe asthma. Advances in Therapy. 2022;39(12):5307–5326. doi:10.1007/s12325-022-02340-w.
Wilkinson A, Khezrian M, Heaney LG, et al. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with severe asthma care in the United Kingdom. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2025;13.
Fadi NF. Efficacy of biologics in early vs. established rheumatoid arthritis. International Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. 2024;19(8):194-197. doi:10.37532/1758-4272.2024.19(8).194-197.
Disclaimer POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT The sponsor is AstraZeneca PLC, 1 Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 0AA, United Kingdom. The political advertisement is linked to advocacy regarding global approaches to asthma care.
Açık Sorular
- What specific policy changes are being advocated?
- What is the timeline for implementation?
- What are the costs to healthcare systems?
