In the past months, the 3TR Respiratory Patient Working Group, co-run by EFA and the European Lung Foundation, has been involved in an exciting activity that will influence long-term asthma treatment.
Patients, clinicians, regulators, and pharmaceutical companies have gathered to develop a Core Outcome Set (COS)1 for severe asthma clinical trials. The COS is a set of defined outcomes that will be measured in clinical trials and patient care to determine the efficacy and appropriateness of treatments. In the case of 3TR, the COS defines what it means to respond to severe asthma treatment, thus guiding future treatment decisions.
Why? Different studies evaluating treatments and response for severe asthma often measure different outcomes. Some look at how many days of sick leave patients take while others examine symptoms like shortness of breath. Therefore, it is not possible to compare and combine the results from these studies.
However, if all studies in severe asthma use the same COS to assess response to treatment, we will gain a better understanding of which treatments work best.
The development of a new COS in collaboration with patients will support the researchers to define non-response and response to biological therapy for severe asthma. It is the intention of the 3TR project that these definitions will be used in future clinical trials and care to evaluate whether to continue or discontinue high-cost biological treatment or find alternatives.
Find more information on the project here and follow the project Twitter for exciting updates!