Adjunct treatments assist with persistent asthma

In addition, data from 341 children aged 4-11 years showed a –12% absolute difference in risk of asthma exacerbation with the SMART therapy.

In trials that compared patients using the SMART protocol with those taking only the dose of inhaled corticosteroids called for by SMART, the protocol was associated with an improvement in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) and a reduction in the need for rescue medication.

The SMART protocol also demonstrated advantages over taking the same dose of inhaled corticosteroid called for by SMART plus a LABA controller therapy or a higher dose of inhaled corticosteroids with a LABA controller therapy. Specifically, SMART patients experienced a –6.4% risk of asthma exacerbations, versus the first comparator group; and a –2.7% risk of asthma, compared with the group who took a higher dose of inhaled corticosteroids with LABA controller therapy.

No significant associations appeared in any of the studies between the SMART protocol and outcomes that included all-cause mortality or changes in FEV₁, forced vital capacity, or the percentage of predicted FEV₁, when compared with those for patients who used a LABA controller therapy plus inhaled corticosteroids at either dose.