Asthma

Asthma, a disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing due to inflammation of the air passages in the lungs, is a worldwide public health problem, afflicting nearly 300 million people and causing more than 200,000 deaths each year. Although people of all ages in all countries suffer from asthma, the burden it creates for both patients and healthcare systems is higher in the developing world than in the industrialized world.

For reasons that are not yet understood, the worldwide incidence of asthma has increased alarmingly in the last two decades. In Western Europe, asthma has doubled in 10 years; in the United States, the number of asthma cases has increased by more than 60% since the early 1980s.

The human and economic costs associated with asthma are severe, involving great expense for both families and governments. Worldwide, the economic costs are estimated to exceed those of TB and HIV/AIDS combined, and, in the United States alone, the annual direct and indirect costs of asthma exceed 6 billion dollars.

Treatment for asthma generally involves both long and short-term asthma control. Long-term medications, such as corticosteroids, help to prevent attacks. If a patient has an attack, rapid action aerosol bronchodilators (inhalers) stop the attack in a matter of seconds by dilating the bronchial tubes. But these drugs are expensive, and the majority of sufferers in developing countries do not have access to effective treatment.

National and international action is necessary to improve patient access to quality generic drugs for asthma. Government commitment is vital to improve patients’ access to adequate treatment and to reduce health costs for both patients and healthcare systems.

The World Lung Foundation supports research, education, and technical assistance to improve understanding of asthma and to support the development of effective treatment strategies. For example, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease has published the Guide for the Management of Asthma in Adults in Low-Income Countries, which recommends the most effective and least costly diagnostic methods and essential drugs to manage asthma and to improve patient access to treatment.

The Foundation also encourages efforts of The Union and its partners, WHO and the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), who have established a mechanism that makes group purchase of generic asthma drugs feasible. The Asthma Drug Facility (ADF) coordinates and pools procurement of drugs and provides technical assistance in storage and distribution, helping to get treatment to asthma patients in developing countries.