Utilization Patterns and Trends in The Use of Medications for Asthma Control in a Cohort of Colombian Patients, 2017-2019. v1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Machado Alba
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Study ◽  
General Practitioner ◽  
Health System ◽  
Triple Therapy ◽  
Inhaled Corticosteroids ◽  
Prescription Patterns ◽  
Utilization Patterns ◽  
Control Therapy ◽  
Long Acting

Objective:To determine the trend in the use of medications used to treat asthma in a group of patients affiliated to the Colombian health system. Methods:A retrospective study on prescription patterns of medications used to treat asthma in patients over 5 years of age between 2017 and 2019. Sociodemographic variables, medications used and combinations, persistence of use and prescribing physician were considered. Results:10,706 people with a diagnosis of asthma were identified, with predominance in female sex (56.8 %), median age 32.2 ± 26.1 years. At the start of follow-up, 53.2% of patients aged 5-11 years were receiving monotherapy, mean 1.5 ± 0.6 drugs/patient, especially inhaled corticosteroids (ICS; 55.9%) and short-acting β-agonists (SABA; 55.6%). Moreover, in patients older than 12 years, 53.5% were treated in monotherapy, mean 1.6 ± 0.7 drugs/patient, of which 45.9% were on SABA, and 37.1 % on ICS.Between 63.0% and 83.6% of patients were treated by a general practitioner. The proportion of patients on the ICS/ long-acting β-agonists (LABA) combination grew at 24 months follow-up by 411% and 177%, respectively. 12.5% of patients (495) received triple therapy (ICS/LABA+LAMA [long-acting anticholinergics]), particularly with fluticasone/salmeterol+tiotropium. Conclusions:Patients with a diagnosis of asthma older than 5 years in Colombia are mainly receiving control therapy with ICS, alone or combined with SAMA and, to a lesser extent, with LABA.

Patterns of use and trends in the use of medications for the control of COPD in a cohort of Colombian patients, 2017-2019 v1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Machado Alba
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Inhaled Corticosteroids ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Population Database ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Prescription Patterns ◽  
Short Acting ◽  
Patterns Of Use ◽  
Long Acting

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects approximately 174 million people worldwide.The objective was to determine the trends of the use of medications for COPD in a group of Colombian patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study on prescription patterns of bronchodilators and other medications used in COPD from a population database with follow-up at 12 and 24 months. Patients older than 18 years of age of any sex who had COPD between 2017 and 2019 were included. Sociodemographic variables, medications, treatment schedules for COPD, comorbidities, comedications, and the specialty of the prescriber were considered. Results: A total of 9,476 people with a diagnosis of COPD were evaluated. They had a mean age of 75.9 ± 10.7 years, 50.1% were men, and 86.8% were prescribed by a general practitioner. At the beginning of the follow-up, on average, they received 1.6 medications/patient, mainly short-acting antimuscarinics (3784; 39.9%), followed by short-acting β-agonists (2997, 31.6%) and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) (2239, 23.6%), but 5083 (53.6%) patients received a long-acting bronchodilator. At the beginning of the follow-up, 645 (6.8%) patients were put on triple therapy with antimuscarinics, β-agonists, and ICS, and at 12 months, this rose to 1388 (20.6%). A total of 57.9% had comorbidities, most often hypertension (44.4%). Conclusions: This group of patients with COPD treated in Colombia frequently received short-acting bronchodilators and ICS, but a growing proportion are undergoing controlled therapy with long-acting bronchodilators, a situation that can improve the indicators of morbidity, exacerbations, and hospitalization.

Evaluating the Effects of “Triple Therapy” With Inhaled Corticosteroids, Long-Acting β 2 -Agonists, and Leukotriene Modifiers in Asthma

CHEST Journal ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 301-302
Author(s):  
Graeme P. Currie ◽  
Daniel K.C. Lee ◽  
Daniel Menzies ◽  
Brian J. Lipworth
Keyword(s):  
Triple Therapy ◽  
Inhaled Corticosteroids ◽  
Long Acting

Adherence and usage patterns of inhaled corticosteroids‐long-acting beta-agonists by using inhaler-monitoring technology

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 256-264
Author(s):  
Richard H. Stanford ◽  
Carlyne M. Averell ◽  
Phaedra T. Johnson ◽  
Erin K. Buysman ◽  
Maureen H. Carlyle
Keyword(s):  
Rescue Medication ◽  
Claims Data ◽  
Inhaled Corticosteroids ◽  
Medication Use ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Once Daily ◽  
Beta Agonists ◽  
Pharmacy Claims ◽  
Long Acting

Background: Results of previous research indicate that adherence to prescribed inhaled corticosteroid‐long-acting beta2-agonist (ICS-LABA) asthma controller medications is suboptimal, yet actual daily-use patterns are unclear and may be influenced by regimen complexity or dosing frequency. Objective: To investigate real-world use of asthma medications by using inhaler sensors for the ICS-LABA controllers: twice-daily fluticasone propionate (FP) plus salmeterol (SAL) and once-daily fluticasone furoate (FF) plus vilanterol (VI); and albuterol rescue medication. Methods: This longitudinal, two-phase, observational study included adults with asthma-prescribed FP-SAL (phase I) or FF-VI (phase II), and albuterol metered-dose inhalers. The participants completed baseline and follow-up surveys, and used clip-on inhaler sensors to monitor real-time inhaler use over the 6-month study period. Pharmacy claims data for the 6-month follow-up period were used to assess refills of ICS-LABA and albuterol inhalers. Results: Patients who used twice-daily FP-SAL received a sufficient dose (≥2 actuations/day) approximately one third of the time, those on once-daily FF-VI received a sufficient dose (≥1 actuation/day) ∼60% of the time. Patients who used once-daily FF-VI were more likely to take their medication as prescribed versus those who used twice-daily FP-SAL. There were no significant differences in the percentage of albuterol-free days (FP-SAL, 68.06% [n = 241]; FF-VI, 72.67% [n = 127]; p = 0.230). Exploratory outcomes are reported in this article's Online Supplemental Material. Claims-based measures of adherence were higher than sensor-based measures, hence claims data may have overestimated adherence, whereas sensors may have more accurately measured patients' medication use. Conclusion: These data supported the use of inhaler sensors as tools to directly and accurately measure ICS-LABA adherence and rescue medication use, and the adherence benefits of once-daily versus twice-daily ICS-LABA regimens.

Effectiveness of Direct-acting Antivirals for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Rwanda: A Retrospective Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabin Nsanzimana ◽  
Michael J Penkunas ◽  
Carol Y Liu ◽  
Dieudonne Sebuhoro ◽  
Alida Ngwije ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Health System ◽  
National Health ◽  
Virological Failure ◽  
National Health System ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Direct Acting Antivirals ◽  
Direct Acting

Abstract Background Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are becoming accessible in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined the effectiveness of DAAs in patients treated through the Rwandan national health system and identified factors associated with treatment outcomes. Methods This retrospective study used data from the national hepatitis C virus (HCV) program for patients who initiated DAAs between November 2015 and March 2017. Sustained virological response at 12 weeks after treatment (SVR12) was the primary outcome. Logistic regression models were fit to estimate the relationship between patients’ clinical and demographic characteristics and treatment outcome. Results 894 patients started treatment during the study period; 590 completed treatment and had SVR12 results. Among the 304 patients without SVR12 results, 48 were lost to follow-up and 256 had no SVR12 results but clinical data indicated they likely completed treatment; these patients were classified as nonvirological failure because viral clearance could not be determined. In a per-protocol analysis of 590 patients with SVR12 results, SVR12 was achieved in 540 (92%), and virological failure occurred in 50 (8%). Pretreatment HCV RNA above the median split was associated with virological failure. Intention-to-treat analyses including all patients showed that SVR12 was achieved in 540 (60%), with nonvirological failure in 304 (34%) and virological failure in 50 (6%). Patients in Western Province were more likely to experience nonvirological failure than patients in Kigali, likely owing to the 5–7-hour travel required to access testing and treatment. Conclusions DAAs were effective when implemented through the Rwandan national health system. Decentralization and enhanced financing are underway in Rwanda, which could improve access to treatment and follow-up as the country prepares for HCV elimination.

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