In an interview with PharmaShots, Thomas C. Corbridge, US Senior Medical Lead at GSK shares his views on the new survey and demonstrated dissatisfaction with the asthma treatment paradigm

Shots:

• The survey was commissioned by GSK and conducted by The Harris Poll in 100 patients aged ≥18yrs. showed that a majority of SEA patients and physicians are concerned about the current state of their health
• The physician survey was conducted on 601 physicians including primary care physicians, allergists/immunologists, and pulmonologists. The survey results highlight a critical need to shorten the pathway & help to diagnose and educate directly on the available treatment options
• The results from the physician survey highlight the opportunity to refer SEA patients to physicians who specialize in treating respiratory and asthma conditions

Tuba: Can you please highlight the reason & use behind the survey?

Tom Corbridge: We set out to get a true understanding of the common stigmas and perceptions about SEA, directly from patients who live every day with the condition, and the physicians who treat them.

The unfiltered learnings will help guide the path for a new awareness effort launching in 2022 that will bring new resources for both physicians and their patients, with the goal of fostering dialogue and treating SEA more effectively.

Tuba: Can we discuss the detailed data demonstrated in this survey?

Tom Corbridge: These survey results highlight a critical need to shorten the pathway to diagnosis and educate more directly on the treatment options available. With so many patients expressing frustration with the diagnosis process and waiting multiple years for a SEA diagnosis, healthcare providers, industry representatives and advocates must partner together to address their concerns and test more frequently. The online survey was conducted from October 13 – November 2, 2021, within the U.S. among 100 adults who have been diagnosed with SEA and 601 physicians, practicing in the U.S., who treat at least two patients who have been diagnosed with SEA. Of note we found that:

• 68% of patients diagnosed with SEA describe their current health status as “fair” or “poor”, with 90% of physicians rating the overall quality of life of their patients as “fair” or “poor”.
• 71% of physicians say that their patients with SEA are diagnosed after they have experienced asthma symptoms despite treatment.
• When patients were asked how long it took for them to be diagnosed with SEA after they had been initially diagnosed with asthma, 34% report between one and two years, and 21% report between three and four years.
• Among primary care physicians, 36% report it takes between one and two years for patients to receive a SEA diagnosis, and 6% report it takes between three and four years. 23% of allergists/immunologists and 27% of pulmonologists report it takes between one and two years for patients to receive a SEA diagnosis
• In terms of treatment options, 91% of primary care physicians wish they knew more about injectable and biologic treatment options for SEA.
• Results from the physician portion of the survey highlight the opportunity to refer SEA patients to physicians who specialize in treating respiratory and asthma conditions regularly, as 34% of primary care physicians report that they refer SEA patients to specialists “occasionally” or “about half the time.” 86% of primary care physicians refer SEA patients to pulmonologists, while 66% report that they refer SEA patients to allergists/immunologists.    

Tuba: Who conducted this survey? Can you name all the contributors, collaborators, and teams behind this survey?

Tom Corbridge: The survey was conducted in partnership with The Harris Poll.

Tuba: Tell us about the insights drawn from this survey?

Tom Corbridge:

Patient Experience:

• We learned that physicians and patients agree that the health and quality of life of a SEA patient are quite low – and nearly all patients are concerned with the current state of their health. Very few HCPs say the quality of their SEA patients’ lives is excellent or good.
• Patients are a bit more positive than HCPs, but the vast majority have concerns about their health.

Path to Diagnosis:

• This survey showed us that the path to a SEA diagnosis is a frustrating one. Patients are typically tested when the severity of their symptoms worsens, or if their symptoms don’t improve using high-dose inhaled corticosteroids.
• Roughly half of the HCPs say a SEA diagnosis can take more than a year, and it’s not surprising that patients wish they’d been diagnosed sooner. Thirty-four percent of patients reported not receiving a diagnosis for 1-2 years, while an additional twenty-one percent of patients reported not receiving the SEA diagnosis for 3-4 years.

SEA Treatments:

• All HCPs want to provide their SEA patients with the best care, with quality of life and the control of asthma being top of mind for physicians when considering SEA treatments.
• Quality of life is a primary factor for patients when considering SEA treatments as well, yet only 2 in 5 patients feel knowledgeable about all treatments available to them – and nearly all would like to learn more about them and have longer conversations with their doctors about options.

Understanding of Biologic Treatments:

• Biologics are still a bit unknown to patients. Only 58% of patients have heard of injectables or biologics and only two-thirds are familiar with their use for treating SEA.
• And interestingly, only a third of patients are aware that a biologic can be administered at home.
• While physicians are generally confident in patients’ understanding of injectables or biologics, and nearly all HCPs feel they are effective, a strong majority of HCPs wish they knew more about them.
• We also learned that most physicians reported that patients’ symptoms must be unresponsive to other treatments before they will prescribe injectables or biologics, due to patient concerns of cost, side effects, and long-term safety.
• But patients not only prefer the thought of an injectable/biologic, they are also more likely to prefer the thought of having it done at home vs. in an office.

Tuba: How this survey will support the diagnosis of SEA patients?

Tom Corbridge: We’re looking at shortening the pathway to diagnosis. With so many patients expressing frustration with the diagnosis process and waiting upwards of four years for a SEA diagnosis, healthcare providers, industry representatives and advocates must partner together to address their concerns and test more frequently. We hope the survey results will help start these conversations earlier in the diagnosis in order to get patients the most personalized treatment option possible.  

Tuba: Can you please give an overview (symptoms, diagnosis) of severe eosinophilic asthma?

Tom Corbridge: Severe asthma is defined as asthma that requires treatment with high dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) plus a second controller (and/or systemic corticosteroids) to prevent it from becoming ‘uncontrolled’ or which remains ‘uncontrolled’ despite this therapy.

Tuba: What's in GSK's pipeline in Respiratory space?

Tom Corbridge: You can find information on our pipeline here: https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/research-and-development/our-pipeline/?immunology-respiratory

Tuba: What are the GSK’s new awareness efforts that are launching in 2022? (Patient engagement, HCP engagement, digital initiatives)

Tom Corbridge: GSK is committed to working with physicians to help evaluate and identify which patients may be appropriate for eosinophil testing, and the learnings from this survey and in-practice physician and patient insights are paving the way for new awareness efforts launching in 2022.

We will host a roundtable discussion with key advocacy partners with the goal of creating easily digestible content to expand patients’ understanding of eosinophilic disease and encourage them to ask their PCP to see a specialist for a blood test and a targeted treatment approach.

Source: Cleveland Clinic's Health Essentials

About Author:

Thomas C. Corbridge is the US Senior Medical Lead at GSK and adjunct professor of medicine at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Corbridge received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and has been in practice for over 30 years. Dr. Corbridge specializes in pulmonary and critical care medicine and is experienced in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and general pulmonology

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