Publicly insured individuals with severe asthma are less likely to receive biologics

Published online: February 6, 2021
 
Multiple biologics are currently approved for severe asthma, but little is known about the patterns of their use.
 
Akenroye et al, in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, reported using a nationally-representative database of ambulatory care visits, IQVIA’s National Drug and Therapeutic Index (NDTI), to evaluate the patterns of biologic use for asthma treatment in the US. They sought to identify general utilization patterns as well as patterns by payer type.
 
The authors found that biologic use has continued to increase since 2003 when the first biologic was approved for the treatment of asthma, now accounting for about 2% of asthma treatment visits. Allergists and Pulmonologists accounted for 80% of biologic treatment visits regardless of payer type. However, despite the overall increasing trend, the proportion of publicly-insured individuals receiving biologics has consistently lagged behind that of privately-insured individuals. In addition, Whites represent the vast majority of publicly insured individuals who receive these biologics. The authors concluded that providers should be aware of possible disparities in the use of biologics among their patients with severe asthma who are publicly insured and continue to advocate for these individuals.
 
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice is an official journal of the AAAAI, focusing on practical information for the practicing clinician.

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