The Role of the Pharmacist in Managing Severe Asthma

Course overview

Asthma is a chronic obstructive respiratory disease that affects more than 300 million people world-wide and more than 25 million children and adults in the United States. Approximately 50% of patients with asthma struggle with "not well-controlled" or "poorly controlled" asthma. Around 10% of these patients have severe asthma and have an urgent need for improved care. Pharmacists can serve a critical role on the front lines of the health care community in the fight to get asthma under control. Pharmacists can education patients in areas from proper use of inhaler devices to reviewing treatment plans and explaining the evidence based efficacy data on new targeted therapies for severe asthma.