AstraZeneca to set up five centers of excellence for severe asthma across India to improve respiratory care

New Delhi: AstraZeneca India, a leading science-led biopharmaceutical company, has announced plans to launch five Centers of Excellences across New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Goa and Cochin to provide a systematic approach to standardized and uniform management of patients with severe asthma.

The centers 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.

The Centers of Excellence (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 centers of excellence throughout the country and tackle complications by continually monitoring patients, educating HCPs, and improving respiratory health for all.”

NCDs such as severe asthma can become a socio-economic burden for the patients, their families, and the healthcare system due to the various treatment costs involved. As a result, effective disease management necessitates specialized care from a multidisciplinary team of HCPs and caregivers. Early identification of severe asthma enables prompt diagnosis and treatment, resulting in improved clinical outcomes. The establishment of severe asthma clinics serves as a cornerstone of technological advancement and comprehensive management of the disease.

Dr. 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.