Physicians anticipate more biologics, once-daily treatments for asthma

Physicians anticipate utilizing additional once-daily and novel biologic agents that are expected to be launched in the US by 2018 to treat patients with asthma, according to survey results from Decision Resources Group.

Novel biologics that target patients with severe asthma were identified by surveyed payers and specialists, including pulmonologists and allergists, as being of particular interest, according to a press release. Up to 25% of patients with severe asthma were identified as being refractory to existing medications, physicians reported, with more than 80% of physicians and managed care organization pharmacy directors citing “at least a modest unmet need for novel therapies for treating this population.”

In the survey, clinicians anticipated that novel interleukin-5 monoclonal antibodies in development including reslizumab (Cinquil, Teva), mepolizumab (Bosatria, GlaxoSmithKline) and benralizumab (AstraZeneca/BioWa) will help meet patients’ needs.

“Pricing strategies will be key to formulary inclusion, particularly for new biological agents,” Matthew Scutcher, PhD, Decision Resources Group analyst, said in the release. “Additionally because of the difference in cost between biological agents and small-molecule agents currently prescribed in early lines of therapy for asthma, developers of emerging biological agents should consider copay reduction strategies for their therapies, particularly if payers make these agents nonpreferred.

“Many surveyed payers suggest that the anticipated availability in 2016 of a branded generic formulation of Advair [fluticasone/salmeterol, GlaxoSmithKline] would prompt their plans to move other LABA/ICS [long-acting beta-2 agonists/inhaled corticosteroids] combinations to a nonpreferred tier. Thus, Breo Ellipta [fluticasone furoate/vilanterol inhalation powder, GlaxoSmithKline] faces stiff competition within an increasingly fragmented asthma market.”