Using innovative local technology, a groundbreaking New Zealand asthma study has found that combination inhalers are more effective at preventing asthma attacks than the two inhalers doctors usually prescribe. They published their findings in the prestigious Lancet medical journal, which said the compelling new evidence could change asthma treatment practices and guidelines on an international level.
If you’re an adult whose wellness has been affected by asthma, it is currently recommended that you are prescribed two inhalers; a regular-use preventive inhaler, and a reliever which is used to treat asthma symptoms. However, the study from the Medical Research Institute study found that the Nexus6 inhaler, which combines long-acting beta agonists from preventers with corticosteroids from relievers, was more effective at reducing severe asthma attacks.
Developed by the Auckland medical technology company of the same name, the Nexus6 combination inhaler electronically monitors usage with an in-built microprocessor that records data every time you take a puff. Then, via the internet or a mobile phone, the data is wirelessly transmitted so that patients, doctors and researchers can monitor the frequency of doses in real-time. This warns you and your doctor if you’re putting your wellbeing at risk to overuse.
For the study, the electronic monitoring chips helped the researchers to compare the use of so-called smart inhalers with conventional inhalers, in roughly 300 New Zealand adult asthma patients. As the chips recorded data every time an inhaler was used, the researchers were able to track patterns of use and delays in seeking treatment, finding that the smart inhaler caused users to be 40% less likely to overuse, compared to the group given the standard treatment.
According to Medical Research Institute director Professor Richard Beasley, a respiratory medicine expert at Otago University in Wellington, the smart inhaler regime is already in use in New Zealand, but the study has provided further confirmation of its effectiveness. We’ve been able to look at the efficacy and safety in so much more detail because we did the electronic monitoring,’ he said. ‘We’ve got an insight and a knowledge of the regime greater than anyone else has been able to achieve before. And as the Lancet editorial says, this will change practice and guidelines.’
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