0000000000361782
AUTHOR
Federica Novelli
Differences in the efficacy and safety among inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)/long-acting beta2-agonists (LABA) combinations in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Role of ICS
Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are frequently recommended for the treatment of asthma and COPD, often in combination with long-acting beta2-agonists (LABA), depending on the severity of the disease and/or on the specific phenotype. Several ICS/LABA combinations are currently available that differ in their pharmacokinetic characteristics and dose of both components. Thus, this review assesses differences in the efficacy and the safety profiles of the ICS components in the two more frequently used ICS/LABA combinations (budesonide/formoterol and fluticasone/salmeterol) for the management of COPD. Whereas the basic mechanism of action is similar for all ICS (binding with the intracellular gluco…
Asthma control in severe asthmatics under treatment with omalizumab: A cross-sectional observational study in Italy
Few data are available on the proportion of asthmatics achieving a good asthma control (according GINA guidelines) and on the level of airway inflammation during omalizumab treatment. The aim of this cross-sectional national observational study was to assess the level of control (according to GINA guidelines) achieved in a group of asthmatics on omalizumab treatment, and to characterize the factors that influence the lack of control. We studied 306 asthmatics under omalizumab treatment for a median of 32 months (range 4-120). The level of control according to GINA was good in 25.2%, partial in 47.1% and poor in 24.5% of patients (data were missing for the remaining 3.2%). Comparison between…
Can the response to Omalizumab be influenced by treatment duration? A real-life study
Objective It is unknown whether Omalizumab effectiveness changes over the course of time. Our retrospective real-life study tried to analyze whether Omalizumab response may be influenced by treatment duration. Methods 340 severe asthmatics treated with Omalizumab for different periods of time were recruited. They were subdivided into 4 groups according to the Omalizumab treatment length: 60 months. Omalizumab treatment results (FEV1, exacerbations, ACT, SABA use, asthma control levels, medications used e and ICS doses) were compared. Results ACT, exacerbations, GINA control levels, ICS doses and SABA use were similar in all groups with different Omalizumab treatment durations. Using a linea…