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Severe asthma

Asthma is a common and generally mild condition, but 3–10% of people with asthma have severe asthma, a distinct condition in which they experience repeated, uncontrollable and life-threatening asthma attacks.

A breath of fresh air: addressing missed opportunities in severe asthma care

Context

Most people are familiar with asthma as a relatively mild condition, but severe asthma is very different in terms of its symptoms, treatment and management.

Severe asthma can affect people at any age. They may be unable to go to school or work, socialise and carry out daily activities. They are also at risk of premature disability, which can result in financial hardship. Despite severe asthma affecting only 3–10% of people with asthma, it accounts for at least 50% of the disease’s healthcare costs and utilisation.

Severe asthma needs to be recognised as a distinct condition that requires a comprehensive care pathway. People often wait years before being referred to an asthma specialist and offered effective treatment. Access to treatment is highly variable, and overreliance on long-term use of high-dose oral corticosteroids to treat asthma attacks remains common despite recent guideline recommendations.

Optimising the management of severe asthma has more than just clinical benefits. Fewer asthma attacks will mean fewer hospital admissions, alleviating pressures on already stretched health systems and reducing productivity losses. Better management of severe asthma can also help reduce the carbon footprint linked to overuse of inhalers and asthma-related hospitalisations.

There are significant disparities in access to and quality of care for severe asthma. Much of the burden of severe asthma could be avoided by adhering to existing guidelines and quality standards. Embedding globally recognised standards of care for severe asthma into national-level respiratory disease plans is vital to effectively support people living with severe asthma.

Project resources

A breath of fresh air: addressing missed opportunities in severe asthma care

Policy report

A breath of fresh air: addressing missed opportunities in severe asthma care
New call to action outlines priorities for improving severe asthma care

Call to action

Call to action on severe asthma

What we’ve achieved

In 2024, HPP is acting as Secretariat of the Severe Asthma Policy Group, a global multi-stakeholder alliance of leading experts in respiratory health, working together to address suboptimal care of severe asthma through policy action.

For World Asthma Day in May 2024, HPP supported the Severe Asthma Policy Group with the development of a global call to action on severe asthma. The statement outlines six key policy recommendations for governments to address the unmet needs of people with severe asthma.

This work followed the foundational work in 2023, when HPP developed a policy report: A breath of fresh air: addressing missed opportunities in severe asthma care. The report involved desk research and working with a group of respiratory and allergy specialists, including representatives from patient associations. The report makes recommendations to ensure that every person with severe asthma receives specialised care appropriate to their condition.

Key partners and stakeholders

Members of the Severe Asthma Policy Group include:

  • Tonya Winders (Chair), Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP)
  • Dr Mohit Bhutani, University of Alberta, Canada
  • Dr Charles Chan, University of Toronto, Canada
  • Dr Hans In ‘t Veen, Franciscus Gasthuis & Vlietland, Netherlands
  • Dr Maciej Kupczyk, Medical University of Lodz, Poland
  • Dr Kevin Murphy, Boys Town National Research Hospital, US

The following experts contributed their insights to the policy report:

  • Professor Job van Boven, Associate Professor of Respiratory Health Economics and Drug Outcomes Research, Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD (GRIAC), University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands
  • Professor Giorgio Walter Canonica, Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Director of the Personalised Medicine, Asthma and Allergy Centre, Humanitas Research Hospital IRCCS, Milan, Italy
  • Henry Gregg, Director of External Affairs, Asthma + Lung UK, and Chair of Taskforce for Lung Health
  • Dr Steve Holmes, family physician and Somerset and NHS England (South West) Clinical Respiratory Lead, UK
  • Laura Williamson, Policy and Public Affairs Officer, Asthma + Lung UK, Taskforce for Lung Health, UK
  • Tonya Winders, President and CEO, Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform

Project funding

The 2023 policy report was fully initiated and funded by AstraZeneca in collaboration with HPP, which consulted with a group of expert stakeholders in the delivery of this report. HPP led the project management, research, stakeholder interviews and drafting of the report. AstraZeneca reviewed all content for factual accuracy. All interviewed stakeholders reviewed the full report.

The Severe Asthma Policy Group is convened and funded by AstraZeneca. Secretariat is provided by The Health Policy Partnership. All members of the Severe Asthma Policy Group have been remunerated for their time in relation to attendance of regular policy group meetings and their involvement in the group activities and workstreams. The call to action is non-promotional, evidence-based and has been shaped by the members.

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