Background Patients with severe asthma may present with characteristics representing overlapping phenotypes, making them eligible for more than one class of biologic. Our aim was to describe the profile of severe adult asthma patients eligible for both anti-IgE and anti-IL5/5R and to compare the effectiveness of both classes of treatment in real life. Methods This was a prospective cohort study that included adult severe asthma patients from 22 countries enrolled into the International Severe Asthma registry (ISAR) who were eligible for both anti-IgE and anti-IL5/5R. The effectiveness of anti-IgE and anti-IL5/5R was compared in a 1:1 matched cohort. Exacerbation rate was the primary effectiveness endpoint. Secondary endpoints included long-term-oral corticosteroid (LTOCS) use, asthma-related emergency room (ER) attendance and hospital admissions. Results In the matched analysis (n=350/group), the mean annualized exacerbation rate decreased by 47.1% in the anti-IL5/5R group and 38.7% in the anti-IgE group. Patients treated with anti-IL5/5R were less likely to experience a future exacerbation (adjusted IRR 0.76; 95% CI 0.64, 0.89; p<0.001) and experienced a greater reduction in mean LTOCS dose than those treated with anti-IgE (37.44% vs 20.55% reduction; p=0.023).) There was some evidence to suggest that patients treated with anti-IL5/5R experienced fewer asthma-related hospitalizations (IRR 0.64; 95% CI 0.38, 1.08), but not ER visits (IRR 0.94, 95% CI 0.61, 1.43). Conclusions In real life, both anti-IgE and anti-IL5/5R improve asthma outcomes in patients eligible for both biologic classes, however anti-IL5/5R was superior in terms of reducing asthma exacerbations and LTOCS use.

Background: Quantifying age trends in healthcare costs of pediatric asthma leads to better understanding of the natural history of the disease and informed decision-making on the allocation of healthcare resources. Methods: We identified children with incident asthma from the health administrative data of British Columbia, Canada (Jan 1998 to Dec 2015), and followed them from their first diagnosis of asthma or wheezing until age 18. We estimated direct medical costs (in 2016 Canadian dollars [$]), including inpatient and outpatient encounters and pharmacy costs, attributed to asthma (primary outcome) and other respiratory diseases (secondary outcome). We assessed the impact of sex and socioeconomic status on age trends, adjusting for calendar effect. Results: The final analysis included 44,552 children with asthma (62% boys). From age 0 to 18, costs of asthma/wheezing and other respiratory conditions decreased from $1,036 to $29/child-year, and from $1,145 to $31/child-year, respectively. Children under 3 years of age incurred 4–fold higher costs for asthma/wheezing and other respiratory conditions. In particular, costs of asthma hospitalizations were 10 times higher in this age group compared to older children. Age trends were generally similar between sex groups and across socioeconomic status. However, medication costs for asthma/wheezing decreased in boys, whereas those in girls declined during childhood but increased during adolescence. Conclusions: The highest costs of pediatric asthma are concentrated in children younger than 3. Age trends were generally consistent between sex and across socioeconomic status.

Background: Quantifying age trends in healthcare costs of pediatric asthma leads to better understanding of the natural history of the disease and informed decision-making on the allocation of healthcare resources. Methods: We identified children with incident asthma from the health administrative data of British Columbia, Canada (Jan 1998 to Dec 2015), and followed them from their first diagnosis of asthma or wheezing until age 18. We estimated direct medical costs (in 2016 Canadian dollars [$]), including inpatient and outpatient encounters and pharmacy costs, attributed to asthma (primary outcome) and other respiratory diseases (secondary outcome). We assessed the impact of sex and socioeconomic status on age trends, adjusting for calendar effect. Results: The final analysis included 44,552 children with asthma (62% boys). From age 0 to 18, costs of asthma/wheezing and other respiratory conditions decreased from $1,036 to $29/child-year, and from $1,145 to $31/child-year, respectively. Children under 3 years of age incurred 4–fold higher costs for asthma/wheezing and other respiratory conditions. In particular, costs of asthma hospitalizations were 10 times higher in this age group compared to older children. Age trends were generally similar between sex groups and across socioeconomic status. However, medication costs for asthma/wheezing decreased in boys, whereas those in girls declined during childhood but increased during adolescence. Conclusions: The highest costs of pediatric asthma are concentrated in children younger than 3. Age trends were generally consistent between sex and across socioeconomic status.