Abstract
BACKGROUND: Fluticasone furoate/vilanterol (FF/V) is an effective long-acting β2 agonist/inhaled corticosteroid combination for managing persistent bronchial asthma. The aim of the study was to assess the outcomes achievable in patients with mild to moderate asthma receiving FF/V 92/22 µg once daily for 12 months. METHODS: Data were automatically and anonymously obtained from the institutional database: forced expiratory volume in 1 s predicted values; the exacerbation and hospitalization rates; days of hospitalization; general practitioner (GP) or specialist visits; days of inactivity; courses of systemic steroids or antibiotics were recorded at baseline and after 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment. The overall adherence to treatment was also calculated. Analysis of variance was used for checking the trends of variables. The improvement in lung function was significant ( p < 0.001) and time dependent. The mean (±standard error) exacerbation rate per patient changed from 1.05 (±0.16) at baseline to 0.28 (±0.07) after 3 months, 0.33 (±0.08) after 6 months and 0.18 (±0.08) after 12 months ( p < 0.001). The mean hospitalization rate per patient changed from 0.30 (±0.07) at baseline to 0.08 (±0.04) after 3 months, 0.10 (±0.05) after 6 months and 0.03 (±0.03) after 12 months ( p < 0.001). Also mean duration of hospitalization and days of inactivity were reduced over time ( p < 0.001). GP visits were also reduced, together with specialist visits (both p < 0.001). Steroid and antibiotic courses dropped significantly ( p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Moreover, changes in all outcomes considered proved time dependent, particularly over the second semester. Finally, over time, adherence to treatment was high. CONCLUSIONS: The once-daily inhalation of combined FF/V 92/22 µg optimized systematically the exacerbation and hospitalization rates in mild to moderate asthma, together with all other outcomes over time. The effectiveness of FF/V 92/22 µg once daily proved to be time dependent over the period of the study.