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AstraZeneca India, has announced its plans to launch five Centres of Excellences (CoEs) across New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Goa and Cochin to provide a systematic approach to standardised and uniform management of patients with severe asthma. The centres will serve as the exemplar hub for treatment and management of severe asthma patients, and they will, in turn guide and support evolving severe asthma centres for a systematic and guidelines-based approach to identify and treat severe asthma patients.
COEs for severe asthma, as per the guidelines established by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), would concentrate on specialty and clinical assessment, diagnosis, patient counselling, biologics initiation, and data management related to severe asthma. 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.
Under AstraZeneca’s model of Severe Asthma COEs, disease management is centred on four crucial pillars. The first involves utilizing a standardized 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. The third pillar focuses on providing a specialized curriculum for aspiring respiratory specialists to assist them in identifying the appropriate patients and guiding them towards the most suitable therapy options. Finally, develop an academy for asthma counsellors to help them evaluate patient care techniques, adherence, and asthma control.
Dr Anil Kukreja, vice president - medical affairs & regulatory, AstraZeneca India, said, “AstraZeneca is committed to reducing the strain that non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including severe asthma, place on healthcare systems through our innovative and focused therapies. We are deeply invested in developing ‘Beyond the Pill’ solutions to accelerate, improve and scale up holistic respiratory care across the healthcare ecosystem. In India, severe asthma is largely managed by oral glucocorticoids that have side effects such as osteoporosis, hypertension, ulcers, weight gain, etc., despite availability of newer treatment options such as biologicals that have shown to improve outcomes in patients. Our goal is to establish more such centres of excellence throughout the country and tackle complications by continually monitoring patients, educating HCPs, and improving respiratory health for all.”
Deepak Talwar, senior consultant & chairman, Metro Respiratory Centre, said, “Severe asthma is one of the most averse 'non-communicable diseases' in the country today, leading to premature morbidity and mortality. It is imperative that countries specific policies focus on prioritizing respiratory health to deliver significant benefits for patients, carers, and the economy at large. With the intervention of AstraZeneca as a knowledge partner in our fight against severe asthma, we are bridging the knowledge gap towards holistic respiratory care at such COEs.”
AstraZeneca is an established leader in respiratory care across inhaled and biologic medicines. The company aims to transform the treatment of severe asthma by eliminating preventable asthma attacks across all severities through biology-led treatment. The therapeutic approach focuses on science involving immune mechanisms, lung damage and abnormal cell repair processes in the disease and neuronal dysfunction.
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