Drugmakers target severe asthma patients with biologics, but payers raise pricing issue

Drug development in the severe asthma space mirrors an industrywide move toward high-dollar targeted drugs, but so far progress is proving divisive. On one side, patients and physicians are basking in the glow of new life-altering solutions. On the other, innovation has given rise to payer blockades and out-of-reach price tags.....

Read more here: mmm-online.com

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CHEO proves it pays to give nurses more control over asthma patients

CHEO has handed nurses more responsibility for monitoring patients with severe asthma based on a study that shows they’re best positioned to manage the steps required to get children safely — and swiftly — back home.
The two-year study, led by pediatrician Dr. Catherine Pound, found that young asthma patients stayed in hospital for a significantly shorter period of time when nurses were in charge of managing their condition.....

Read more here: ottawacitizen.com

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Simple breath test during pregnancy could prevent asthma in babies

A simple breath test on pregnant women with asthma can significantly reduce the incidence of the illness in their babies, according to new research.
Hunter Medical Research Institute scientist Adam Collison who ran the study called it an "amazing finding".
"Ultimately, it means that kids will grow up without asthma who would have had it," Dr Collison said.
The breath test measured levels of nitric oxide, a marker of lung inflammation.....

Read more here: abc.net.au