Advair to remain favored fixed-dose LABA/ICS combination therapy through 2013 for asthma and COPD

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, despite increased competition from several emerging agents, GlaxoSmithKline's Advair will remain surveyed pulmonologists' and primary care physicians' (PCPs) favored fixed-dose long-acting beta2 agonist (LABA)/inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) combination inhaler through 2013 for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In 2013, surveyed pulmonologists and PCPs will prescribe Advair to 20 percent of their asthma and COPD patients.  

The new Physician & Payer Forum report entitled Physician and Payer Acceptance of Emerging Fixed-Dose Combination Inhalers for Asthma and COPD finds that, by 2013, at least four emerging LABA/ICS combination therapies are expected to launch for asthma and COPD. Despite increased competition from emerging agents, surveyed pulmonologists and PCPs both show a strong tendency to favor Advair over other drugs in the coming years. Additionally, among the three agents in development within the novel LABA/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) drug class, surveyed pulmonologists and PCPs view Boehringer Ingelheim's olodaterol/tiotropium combination to be the most promising.

"By the end of 2013, surveyed pulmonologists expect to prescribe each emerging LABA/ICS combination therapy to between 7 percent and 10 percent of their patients, while surveyed PCPs indicate they will prescribe each emerging LABA/ICS combination therapy to between 3 percent and 6 percent of their patients," said Decision Resources Therapeutic Area Director Melissa Stolper.

Specifically, Merck's Dulera (formoterol/mometasone) and SkyePharma/Abbott's Flutiform (formoterol/fluticasone propionate) will each garner a 7 percent patient share (pulmonologists) and 6 percent patient share (PCPs) by end of 2013. However, surveyed pulmonologists will prescribe GlaxoSmithKline/Theravance's Relovair (vilanterol/fluticasone furoate) and Novartis's indacaterol/mometasone almost twice as much as PCPs will prescribe these agents, following the market entry of these two drugs.

The report also finds that surveyed managed care organizations' (MCO) pharmacy directors express greater uncertainty regarding the use of Boehringer Ingelheim's Combivent (a short-acting beta2 agonist/short-acting muscarinic antagonist) for COPD than they do for the use of fixed-dose LABA/ICS combination inhalers. Forty-three percent of pharmacy directors indicate that they are unsure whether Combivent should be prescribed to a greater number of patients with COPD and whether the drug should be prescribed earlier in the treatment paradigm. Meanwhile, only 29 percent of pharmacy directors report the same for fixed-dose LABA/ICS combination inhalers.

Physician and Payer Acceptance of Emerging Fixed-Dose Combination Inhalers for Asthma and COPD is based on a U.S. survey of 70 pulmonologists, 70 PCPs and 20 MCO pharmacy directors.

SOURCE Decision Resources