Inhaler Switching – No Evidence of Negative Impact on Patients or Healthcare Utilisation

A self-controlled case series study led by researchers from the National Heart & Lung Institute and published in Thorax has found that “switching to an equivalent inhaler in patients with asthma or COPD appeared safe and did not negatively affect patient’s health or healthcare utilisation.”

The researchers identified a cohort of 569,901 asthma and 171,231 COPD regular inhaler users and investigated the effects of switching inhalers. All switches examined (brand-to-generic, brand-to-brand, generic-to-generic, generic-to-brand) were associated with increased adherence and reduced exacerbations across all sub-groups – with no significant change in the rate of consultations, respiratory-events and adverse-medication events.