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40 OctOber 2022 Inhalation Next: Providing tools to support GPs and pharmacists Anna De Simoni, lead author and GP and Clinical Lecturer in Pri- mary Care at Queen Mary Univer- sity of London, told Science Daily that, "Working with patients to improve regular use of preventa- tive inhalers should be central to reducing asthma-related hospital admissions" and noted, "ere is still significant room for improve- ment." She explained the research- ers had determined if patients who use more than 12 SABA inhalers per year could reduce their usage to 4-12 inhalers per year, the reduction could result in 70% fewer asthma-related hospital admissions in that patient group. "ere is also a need to provide GPs and pharmacists with the right tools to support patients to do this," she added. In the next phase of the Queen Mary pro- gram, the researchers plan to provide practices with tools to support the identification and management of high-risk patients, based on prescribing records. References Content for this article was based on and excerpted from: • Queen Mary University of London. More than a quarter of people with asthma still over- using rescue inhalers, putting them at increased risk of severe attacks. ScienceDaily. June 15, 2022. www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2022/06/22061521 1340.htm. • De Simoni A, Hajmoham- madi H, Pfeffer P. Reduc- ing SABA overprescribing in asthma: Lessons from a qual- ity improvement prescribing project in East London. Brit- ish Journal of General Practice. 2022. BJGP.2021.0725. DOI: 10.3399/BJGP.2021.0725. www.jaci-inpractice.org/arti cle/S2213-2198(22)00285-9/ fulltext. Study of SABA over- prescribing suggests improvements and support tools According to Science Daily, SABA inhaler prescribing was also eval- uated in a large study conducted in East London, UK. In that sec- tion of the city, hospitalizations for acute asthma are 14% above the London average. Due to "that impact on the community," researchers from Queen Mary University of London's Clinical Effectiveness Group (CEG) stud- ied SABA inhaler prescribing by general practitioners. Overprescribing SABAs and underutilizing preventive inhalers In analyzing more than 700,000 patient records (which had been made anonymous) from 117 gen- eral practitioner (GP) practices in East London, the research- ers found that 26% of patients with asthma were overprescribed SABA inhalers (defined as more than 6 inhalers per year). Fur- ther, within that group, a quarter of the patients were found to be underutilizing preventative (cor- ticosteroid) inhalers. at finding raised concerns about inadequate asthma prevention for patients who had significant asthma. In addition, the study demon- strated that prescribing varied sig- nificantly among GP practices. Some overprescribed to 6% of their asthma patients while oth- ers overprescribed to as many as 60% of their asthma patients. Further analysis of that varia- tion showed overprescribing was strongly linked to repeat dispens- ing (in which prescriptions are issued automatically by commu- nity pharmacists). independent of ICS- containing medications used. Adding to the body of evidence "Results from SABINA across diverse patient populations and healthcare systems add to the body of evidence demonstrating SABA overuse is associated with an increased risk of exacerbations in patients with asthma," com- mented Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuti- cals R&D, AstraZeneca. "With more than 176 million asthma attacks experienced globally each year, there is a clear need for asthma management that addresses the inflammatory nature of the disease and reduces exacer- bation risk to improve outcomes for patients." References Content for this article was based on and excerpted from: • SABINA programme demon- strates SABA reliever over- use is a global issue in asthma management. March 30, 2022. https://www.astrazeneca.com/ media-centre/medical-releases/ s a b i n a - p r o g r a m m e - d e m o n strates-saba-reliever-overuse-is- a-global-issue-in-asthma-man agement.html. • Bateman ED, Price DB, Wang H-C, et al. Short-acting β2- agonist prescriptions are associ- ated with poor clinical outcomes of asthma: e multi- country, cross-sectional SABINA III study. European Respiratory Journal. January 2021. https:// erj.ersjournals.com/content/ early/2021/09/09/13993003.0 1402- 2021. • Quint JK, Arnetorp S, Kocks JWH, et al. Short- acting beta-2-agonist exposure and severe asthma exacerbations: SABINA Findings from Europe and North America. Journal of Allergy and Clini- cal Immunology: In Practice. 2022;10:2297-2309. https://