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As-Needed Albuterol–Budesonide in Mild Asthma

Author/s: 
Craig LaForce, Frank Albers, Anna Danilewicz, Allison Jeynes-Ellis

Background: As-needed use of albuterol-budesonide has been shown to result in a significantly lower risk of severe asthma exacerbation than as-needed use of albuterol alone among patients with moderate-to-severe asthma. Data on albuterol-budesonide in mild asthma are needed.

Methods: We conducted a fully virtual, decentralized, phase 3b, multicenter, double-blind, event-driven trial involving persons 12 years of age or older with disease that was uncontrolled despite treatment for mild asthma with a short-acting β2-agonist (SABA) with or without a low-dose inhaled glucocorticoid or leukotriene-receptor antagonist. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to a fixed-dose combination of 180 μg of albuterol and 160 μg of budesonide (with each dose consisting of two inhaler actuations of 90 μg and 80 μg, respectively) or 180 μg of albuterol (with each dose consisting of two inhaler actuations of 90 μg) on an as-needed basis for up to 52 weeks. The primary end point was the first severe asthma exacerbation, assessed in a time-to-event analysis, in the on-treatment efficacy population, and the key secondary end point was the first severe exacerbation in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary end points included the annualized rate of severe asthma exacerbations and exposure to systemic glucocorticoids.

Results: A total of 2516 participants underwent randomization; 1797 (71.4%) completed the trial. Of 2421 participants in the full analysis population (1209 assigned to the albuterol-budesonide group and 1212 to the albuterol group), 97.2% were 18 years of age or older; 74.4% used a SABA alone at baseline. The trial was stopped for efficacy at a prespecified interim analysis. A severe exacerbation occurred in 5.1% of the participants in the albuterol-budesonide group and in 9.1% of those in the albuterol group in the on-treatment efficacy population (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39 to 0.73) and in 5.3% and 9.4%, respectively, in the intention-to-treat population (hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.73) (P<0.001 for both comparisons). The annualized rate of severe asthma exacerbations was lower with albuterol-budesonide than with albuterol (0.15 vs. 0.32; rate ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.64), as was the mean annualized total dose of systemic glucocorticoids (23.2 vs. 61.9 mg per year). Adverse events were similar in the two treatment groups.

Conclusions: As-needed use of albuterol-budesonide resulted in a lower risk of a severe asthma exacerbation than as-needed use of albuterol alone among participants with disease that was uncontrolled despite treatment for mild asthma. (Funded by Bond Avillion 2 Development and AstraZeneca; BATURA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05505734.) See also in NEJM Evidence: Participants as Partners in Decentralized Clinical Trials.

Keywords 
asthma asthma treatment Asthma Therapy albuterol

Managing Asthma in Adolescents and Adults 2020 Asthma Guideline Update From the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program

Author/s: 
Cloutier, M.M., Dixon, A.E., Krishnan, J.A.

Importance  Asthma is a major public health problem worldwide and is associated with excess morbidity, mortality, and economic costs associated with lost productivity. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program has released the 2020 Asthma Guideline Update with updated evidence-based recommendations for treatment of patients with asthma.

Objective  To report updated recommendations for 6 topics for clinical management of adolescents and adults with asthma: (1) intermittent inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs); (2) add-on long-acting muscarinic antagonists; (3) fractional exhaled nitric oxide; (4) indoor allergen mitigation; (5) immunotherapy; and (6) bronchial thermoplasty.

Evidence Review  The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council chose 6 topics to update the 2007 asthma guidelines based on results from a 2014 needs assessment. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality conducted systematic reviews of these 6 topics based on literature searches up to March-April 2017. Reviews were updated through October 2018 and used by an expert panel (n = 19) that included asthma content experts, primary care clinicians, dissemination and implementation experts, and health policy experts to develop 19 new recommendations using the GRADE method. The 17 recommendations for individuals aged 12 years or older are reported in this Special Communication.

Findings  From 20 572 identified references, 475 were included in the 6 systematic reviews to form the evidence basis for these recommendations. Compared with the 2007 guideline, there was no recommended change in step 1 (intermittent asthma) therapy (as-needed short-acting β2-agonists [SABAs] for rescue therapy). In step 2 (mild persistent asthma), either daily low-dose ICS plus as-needed SABA therapy or as-needed concomitant ICS and SABA therapy are recommended. Formoterol in combination with an ICS in a single inhaler (single maintenance and reliever therapy) is recommended as the preferred therapy for moderate persistent asthma in step 3 (low-dose ICS-formoterol therapy) and step 4 (medium-dose ICS-formoterol therapy) for both daily and as-needed therapy. A short-term increase in the ICS dose alone for worsening of asthma symptoms is not recommended. Add-on long-acting muscarinic antagonists are recommended in individuals whose asthma is not controlled by ICS-formoterol therapy for step 5 (moderate-severe persistent asthma). Fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing is recommended to assist in diagnosis and monitoring of symptoms, but not alone to diagnose or monitor asthma. Allergen mitigation is recommended only in individuals with exposure and relevant sensitivity or symptoms. When used, allergen mitigation should be allergen specific and include multiple allergen-specific mitigation strategies. Subcutaneous immunotherapy is recommended as an adjunct to standard pharmacotherapy for individuals with symptoms and sensitization to specific allergens. Sublingual immunotherapy is not recommended specifically for asthma. Bronchial thermoplasty is not recommended as part of standard care; if used, it should be part of an ongoing research effort.

Conclusions and Relevance  Asthma is a common disease with substantial human and economic costs globally. Although there is no cure or established means of prevention, effective treatment is available. Use of the recommendations in the 2020 Asthma Guideline Update should improve the health of individuals with asthma.

Keywords 
asthma treatment
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