Continuing Medical Education

Looking beyond the magic bullet: Novel asthma drugs or education, which works better?

R Masekela, M Levin, P M Jeena, M Annamalai, V Naidoo, A van Niekerk, D Hawarden, S Emanuel, H Katz, H Zar, R J Green, F E Kritzinger, A I Manjra; on behalf of the South African Childhood Asthma Working Group (SACAWG)

Abstract


Although ˂5% of children with asthma suffer from severe asthma, they account for the highest use of health resources. The field of asthma therapy is changing rapidly, with a number of new drugs and biologics being added to the treatment armamentarium, particularly for adults. This, though, is not the case for paediatric patients, in whom a number of these novel molecules and drugs have not been investigated. Even though adults have shown responses to medication in some studies, this does not necessarily imply that there will be similar results in children. In the management of severe asthma, use of specific interventions to ensure treatment adherence and goal-setting for self-management is critical to ensure the best treatment outcomes. The objective of this article is to review and grade the current evidence base for use of novel asthma drugs and to make evidence-based recommendations for their administration in children with severe asthma in the South Africa context. We also review the evidence for medication-adherence strategies and self-management plans.


Authors' affiliations

R Masekela, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Clinical Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

M Levin, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, and Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa

P M Jeena, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Clinical Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

M Annamalai, Private practice, Lenmed Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre, Durban, South Africa

V Naidoo, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Clinical Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

A van Niekerk, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa

D Hawarden, Division of Allergology, Department of Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital and University of Cape Town, South Africa

S Emanuel, Private practice, The Asthma Clinic, Cape Town, South Africa

H Katz, Allergy Live, Allergy Foundation South Africa

H Zar, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, and Medical Research Council Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa

R J Green, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa

F E Kritzinger, Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, Cape Town; and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

A I Manjra; on behalf of the South African Childhood Asthma Working Group (SACAWG), Private practice, Life Westville Hospital, Durban, South Africa

Full Text

PDF (145KB)

Keywords

Novel asthma drugs; Education

Cite this article

South African Medical Journal 2018;108(8):619-623. DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2018.v108i8.13163

Article History

Date submitted: 2018-07-25
Date published: 2018-07-25

Article Views

Abstract views: 2352
Full text views: 1498

Comments on this article

*Read our policy for posting comments here