Characteristics of Pts Initiating Spiriva Respimat in Asthma

Characteristics of Patients Initiating Spiriva Respimat in Asthma in the UK: a Cross-sectional Study Based on the Clinical Practice Research Datalink

This study is a cross-sectional, non-interventional study based on existing data (NISed).

The UK CPRD data will be used to assess the characteristics of asthma patients who were prescribed ICS/LABA FDC before the index date and who initiated Spiriva Respimat, or received a higher dose of ICS/LABA FDC, or initiated LTRA, or switched to a new ICS/LABA FDC in the UK during the study period (September 2014-December 2017) enabling to assess potential channeling of prescribing to different patient populations.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years and above at the index date
• At least 12 months of continuous registration prior to the index date in a practice contributing up to standard (UTS) data to the Clinical Practice Research Database (CPRD)
• Had a diagnosis of asthma before the index date
• Being treated with Inhaled corticosteroids/Long-acting beta agonists (ICS LABA FDC) before the index date (at least one prescription within 3 months before the index date)
• Patients who were new users of Spiriva Respimat, or LTRA, or patients who were prescribed a higher dose of ICS/LABA FDC, or patients who switched to a new ICS/LABA FDC from the previous ICS/LABA FDC

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who were prescribed other Long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) any time before or on the index date
• In the primary analysis, patients who were diagnosed with COPD before or on the index date will be excluded from the study. In a sensitivity analysis, patients who had both asthma and COPD diagnoses will be included in the study