26: ‘Game changer’ for severe asthma sufferers

<div>Around 1,400 people each year die from a severe asthma attack; and asthma deaths are 50 per cent <a href="https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-02-asthma-deaths-poorest-areas-richest.html">more likely in poorest areas</a> compared with the richest.<br> <br> </div> <div>Now, people with severe asthma are being offered a newer type of treatment alongside their usual asthma medicines. These are known as monoclonal antibodies, also referred to as biologics.<br> <br> </div> <div>Biologics are a game changer for people whose lives have been blighted by asthma, helping them to live normal lives – and reducing the risk of a fatal attack. <br> <br> </div> <div>We hear from Joanne Beecroft who has been taking biologics; and from asthma doctor Dr Hitasha Rupani who is leading a national programme to increase uptake of the medicines, run by the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative with the support of the AHSN Network.<br> <br> </div> <div>The national programme, known as the Rapid Uptake Products programme, focuses on a number of products which have been proved to significantly improve care and reduce NHS costs.</div> <br> <div>Our guests talk to Dr Phil Jennings, AHSN Network Lead for the Rapid Uptake Products.</div> <br> <div>Find out more about the AAC Rapid Uptake Products programme <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/aac/what-we-do/what-innovations-do-we-support/rapid-uptake-products/">here.</a> </div>