Trends and Disparities in Asthma Biologic Use in the United States

Abstract: Background From 2003-2015, only 1 biologic was approved for treatment of moderate-severe asthma in the United States. Since 2015, 4 new asthma biologics were approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Objective To describe trends and disparities of asthma biologic use in the United States from 2003-2018 Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis using a cohort developed from the OptumLabs Data Warehouse. Prevalent and incident asthma biologic users were identified, and characteristics of users and non-users were analyzed using regression analysis. Clinician prescribing behavior was described. Results Use of biologic medications remains uncommon among individuals with asthma, with prevalence peaking in 2006 at 3 in 1000 individuals with asthma. Several factors are associated with a higher likelihood of asthma biologic use: middle age, higher income, commercial insurance, and access to a specialist. Most clinicians (65%)in the cohort prescribed only 1 biologic. Conclusions We report low overall use of asthma biologics and evidence of disparities in access to asthma biologics.