Adherium’s Smartinhaler dramatically improves clinical outcomes and medication adherence in children with asthma
Trial results also provide a cost-saving argument for introducing Smartinhaler into routine practice.
Adherium has announced the publication of results from an independent, randomised controlled trial of its respiratory disease management tool, Smartinhaler. The study, in children with poorly controlled asthma, revealed a significant reduction in hospital admissions over the course of 12 months as well as substantial other health and quality of life benefits.
The year-long STAAR study was carried out at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in the UK, led by the University of Sheffield’s Dr Robert Morton and colleagues. The aim of the study was to assess whether introducing digital adherence monitoring into routine practice could improve clinical outcomes in children with poorly controlled asthma.
Dr Robert Morton, lead investigator at Sheffield Children’s Hospital said: “This study provides good evidence that adherence monitoring with feedback can significantly improve clinical outcomes when used in the management of children with poorly controlled asthma. The benefits of the intervention were sustained over a prolonged period of time, and we have shown that this approach can be effectively administered in a clinically practical way. We would recommend this approach to be integrated into the standard care of children with poorly controlled asthma.”
The very positive findings from this study are welcomed in the context of the ‘Connected Asthma’ report published by Asthma UK in August 2016, which highlighted that a child is admitted to hospital every 20 minutes because of an asthma attack. It concluded that existing digital technologies should be introduced to patients to improve asthma care and that more should be done to ensure that people with asthma are able to benefit from a connected way of managing their condition.
Seventy-seven of the 90 recruited children completed the STAAR study. Thirty-eight children were in the intervention group using Smartinhaler adherence monitoring with medication reminders and feedback in the clinic, and 39 children received usual care as part of a control group. Drug use data were collected and children’s health outcomes were assessed at each 3-month follow-up.
Adherence to prescribed medication averaged 70% in the intervention group, compared to 49% in the control group. The use of the Smartinhaler significantly increased medication adherence and this was maintained over the 12-month period. Nearly half of the children in the Smartinhaler intervention group maintained average adherence rates of >80% over the 12 months.
The adherence improvement was associated with significant reduction in asthma exacerbations - episodes of progressively worsening shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and chest tightness - which can be life threatening. The need for a course of oral steroids, a marker of severe exacerbations, was 53% more common in the usual care group compared to the intervention group. Furthermore, the hospitalization rate was five times greater in the control compared to the Smartinhaler intervention group (p<0.001). This approximates to the prevention of 12 hospitalizations in one year among the children in the intervention group, making a cost-saving argument for introducing Smartinhaler into routine practice.
Garth Sutherland, CEO of Adherium said: “Seeing a significant increase in medication adherence and reduction in asthma exacerbations combined with a reduction in children being admitted to hospital is proof of the clinical effectiveness of our Smartinhaler technology. The impact of adherence monitoring on the health of patients is clear and we continue to work with our partners to make it accessible to all those who would benefit.”
Related News
-
News Pharmaceutical industry supports COP28 health stance in joint statement
As COP28 takes place over this week in Dubai, UAE, several bodies in the pharmaceutical and health industries have come together to announce support of key movements in sustainability in the sector, and to recognise sustainability as a health issue.&nb... -
News Biden backs Cold-War measures to shore-up medical supply chains
In a recent strategy to combat rising inflation and the cost of living crisis, President Joe Biden has invoked a Cold War-era act to increase investment in a selection of medicines and supplies. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: What does the changing US Pharma market mean for industry and patients alike?
In this week's episode of the CPHI Podcast Series Lucy Chard, Digital Editor for CPHI Online is joined by James Manser to discuss the political and market changes in the US pharma field. -
News Which 10 drugs are open to price negotiation with Medicare in the USA?
The Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services, under the Biden administration in the USA, has released a list of the 10 drugs that will be open to price negotiations as part of the new legislation under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). -
News 10 Major Drug Approvals So Far in 2023
Last year, 37 novel drugs were approved by the FDA, this was a high number for such a category, and covered many fields including oncology, demonstrating how promising further research is, and how it is only continuing to build. To date, there are alre... -
News Novartis agrees for copies to be made of cancer drug to reach poorer countries
Novartis signs agreement with MPP to have generics of it's leukemia drug made so that it can be more easily distributed to the world's poorer countries. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: outsourcing and manufacturing trends
Listen to the CPHI Podcast Series this June to hear Gil Roth of the PBOA speak with Digital Editor Lucy Chard about the biggest trends and topics to watch in pharma outsourcing and manufacturing at the minute. -
News New WHO health emergency guidelines expect full transparency from Big Pharma
The WHO are proposing a new set of pandemic guidelines to set out how future global health crises should be handled.
Position your company at the heart of the global Pharma industry with a CPHI Online membership
-
Your products and solutions visible to thousands of visitors within the largest Pharma marketplace
-
Generate high-quality, engaged leads for your business, all year round
-
Promote your business as the industry’s thought-leader by hosting your reports, brochures and videos within your profile
-
Your company’s profile boosted at all participating CPHI events
-
An easy-to-use platform with a detailed dashboard showing your leads and performance