INDIA – AstraZeneca India, a leader in respiratory care across inhaled and biologic medicines, is gearing up to set up new Centers of Excellence (CoEs) for asthma care in India.
This news follows the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval of AstraZeneca’s Airsupra, formerly known as PT027, for the treatment of bronchoconstriction and to reduce the risk of exacerbations in people with asthma aged 18 years and older.
The Asthma Centers of Excellence, currently under construction, will be built in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Goa, and Cochin.
These world-class centers are anticipated to provide a systematic approach to standardised and uniform management of patients with severe asthma.
In a press statement, AstraZeneca notified: “The centers will support evolving severe asthma centers for a systematic and guidelines-based approach to identifying and treating severe asthma patients.”
These facilities will serve as the exemplary hub for the treatment of severe asthma patients, and they will, in turn, guide a multidisciplinary approach to addressing the needs of all types of asthma.
Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory respiratory disease with variable symptoms that affects as many as 262 million people worldwide.
In India, severe asthma is largely managed by oral glucocorticoids that have side effects such as osteoporosis, hypertension, ulcers, and weight gain, despite the availability of newer treatment options that have been shown to improve outcomes in patients.
AstraZeneca plans to strategically position its centers of excellence throughout the country to help in tackling severe asthma complications.
These new facilities will continually monitor patients, educate healthcare professionals, and improve respiratory health for all.
“The company aims to transform the treatment of severe asthma by eliminating preventable asthma attacks across all severity levels through biology-led treatment,” pointed out AstraZeneca.
Under AstraZeneca’s model of Severe Asthma CoEs, disease management is centered on four crucial pillars.
The first perspective is based on utilising a standardised proforma to identify the appropriate patient profile for severe asthma.
“The second pillar involves bridging gaps in patient awareness by providing education on severe asthma through interactive patient modules, websites, and booklets,” outlined AstraZeneca.
The model is also characterized by a specialised curriculum for aspiring respiratory specialists to assist them in identifying the appropriate patients and guiding them toward the most suitable therapy options.
These pillars are essential elements to developing an academy for asthma counsellors to help them evaluate patient care techniques, adherence, and asthma control.
According to the global pharmaceutical company, the Centres of Excellence for severe asthma will be designed and operate in compliance with the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA).
“The centers will concentrate on specialty and clinical assessment, diagnosis, patient counselling, biologics initiation, and data management related to severe asthma,” stated AstraZeneca.
The Indian-based subsidiary underscored that the management of severe asthma requires continued research, education, and support to patients.
“Appropriate patient selection is critical for the application of biologics or advanced precision therapy for severe asthma,” the company underscored.
The opening of the new Centers of Excellence for asthma care aligns with AstraZeneca’s current strategy to focus on key areas such as cancer, cardiovascular, kidney, rare, and respiratory diseases.
Moreover, these facilities will pave the way for Indian policymakers to prioritise respiratory health to deliver significant benefits for patients, carers, and the economy at large.
This strategic move builds on AstraZeneca’s commitment to reducing the strain that non-communicable diseases, including severe asthma, place on healthcare systems through innovative and focused therapies.
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