Technology Description:
The NIHR Horizon Scanning Research and Intelligence Centre has published a horizon scanning review about health technologies in development for patients with refractory asthma. Refractory asthma is a poorly understood, poorly defined, complex heterogeneous disease in which adequate asthma control cannot be achieved or sustained in a substantial proportion of patients. Refractory asthma encompasses a variety of sub phenotypes of asthma that do not respond to current standard therapy, resulting in persistent symptoms, airflow obstruction and/or exacerbations. The global prevalence of asthma is estimated to be 300 million, with 18% of the UK population having a confirmed diagnosis. The lack of a consistent definition means estimates of the true size of the sub-group of patients with refractory asthma is unknown. There is a significant economic burden associated with refractory asthma. In a recent study, which used data from the British Thoracic Society Difficult Asthma Registry, treatment costs for patients in the UK were estimated to be £2,912-£4, 21 per patient.
We looked for emerging technologies for the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of refractory asthma. We asked clinical experts to give their views on each technology’s degree of innovation, potential for impact and likelihood of adoption.
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