Prevalence of severe asthma according to the drug regulatory agency perspective: An Italian experience

According to the treatment, 43% of treated asthmatics (0.1% of general population) belonged to GINA steps 4 and 5, 291 of them (5.0%) assuming omalizumab treatment (it was the only biologic available in the area where the study was conducted at the time of the analysis). According to these data, based on prescribed and dispensed asthma medications, the prevalence of severe asthma is 0.07% in the general population and 3.2% among asthmatic patients. [...]in the case the patients are followed-up in the context of the NHS, it implies that everything concerning the management of their disease, namely exams and treatments, are accurately registered.