Pharmac funded drug to provide huge benefits for asthmatics

Pharmac funded drug will provide huge benefits for those with severe asthma

The Asthma Foundation welcomes the recent announcement by Pharmac on the funding of omalizumab for the treatment of severe allergic asthma.

“The availability of this drug in New Zealand is a major advance for patients with severe allergic asthma” says medical director Dr Kyle Perrin.

Asthma is common in New Zealand, and the majority of patients control it very well with standard medications such as regular inhalers. However for a minority of people with more severe asthma standard treatments are not enough and more drugs are required, often resulting in significant side effects.

Studies of omalizumab have shown that patients with allergic asthma not well controlled on standard treatment have a significant reduction in asthma attacks and an improvement in their overall asthma control.

“I have a young asthma patient in my clinic who had seven admissions to hospital last year and three to the intensive care unit; despite being on five different asthma treatments. Currently, the only thing that keeps her out of hospital is a steroid medication with significant side effects.

Being able to offer medication to manage severe asthma that is not a steroid and is likely to reduce unplanned hospital admissions, both of which can be stressful for the patient and their family, is fantastic news,” says Dr Perrin.

We also encourage all New Zealanders with asthma to make sure they keep using their medication as prescribed and keep their asthma under control at all times. We recommend all asthmatics get an asthma management plan completed with a health professional. The plan is designed to help manage your asthma and recognise when it is deteriorating before it becomes an emergency.”

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