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The unmet need in asthma and lupus
May is a critical moment for the asthma and lupus communities. Each year, Asthma and Lupus Awareness Month serves as a moment to bring patients together and illuminate the current unmet need.
Take asthma, for example. Asthma impacts approximately 26.5 million Americans, severely compromising patients’ quality of life and putting them at risk of frequent hospitalizations and visits to the emergency department. So, despite more than eight percent of the population receiving an asthma diagnosis, the disease continues to negatively impact the lives of those living with it. What’s more, the uptake of asthma biologics among patients living with severe asthma pales in comparison to other disease states, reflecting the need for innovative therapy options.
Lupus, too, is a serious, complex chronic disease that affects more than 300,000 Americans, with a majority being women of color between the ages of 15 to 44. Lupus is an unpredictable autoimmune disease that affects every person differently, making it difficult to manage and treat. Due to the complexity of lupus, patients often experience emotional, physical and even economic hardships throughout their disease journey.
What motivates our leaders to continue transforming care for patients
At AstraZeneca, Asthma and Lupus Awareness Month is equally as important to us as it is to the patients we serve. We’re working to address unmet needs and engage both patients and their doctors by elevating expectations, modernizing clinical practice and promoting health equity to help patients live up to what’s clinically possible. We’ve launched 5 new medicines since 2020, and by 2025, our goal is to launch 10 additional therapies – helping 10 million patients annually across our respiratory and immunology disease areas.
These goals are ambitious, but our teams are committed. In support of Asthma and Lupus Awareness Month, we asked our Respiratory and Immunology leaders about what motivates them this May and inspires them to work towards revolutionizing asthma, disrupting immunology and driving earlier, biologic-led treatments. Here were their answers:
Liz Bodin, Vice President, US Respiratory & Immunology: “Across respiratory and immune-driven diseases, we have a legacy of pushing the boundaries of science and spearheading innovations to improve the lives of millions of patients. Having worked in asthma for over two decades, I’ve had the privilege of serving this community and understanding how the biopharmaceutical sector can help address the unmet need that persists. Unfortunately, this is not only the case for asthma but also for those living with lupus and other immune-driven diseases. Asthma and Lupus Awareness Months are an important time to reinforce our commitment to helping patients and to advance our bold ambition to transform respiratory and immunology care for patients.”
Nicole Skiljo, Executive Director, US Marketing: “As the mother and daughter of loved ones living with asthma, there’s nothing I want more than to better prevent the next attack from happening. I’m incredibly motivated by the opportunity we have to empower the millions of people living with asthma to demand more from their rescue inhalers. This month is especially important to our team as we aim to educate healthcare providers about the asthma guidelines and help prepare the asthma community for a paradigm shift in how the disease is managed.”
Caty Smith, Executive Director, Respiratory Biologics Marketing: “I’m inspired by our drive to follow the science in everything we do to enhance patient lives. At AstraZeneca, our people are smart, creative and devoted to bringing patients like those living with severe uncontrolled asthma innovative treatment options throughout May, Asthma Awareness Month, and year-round.”
Krista Socha, Executive Director, Immunology Marketing: “Patients living with lupus – Lupus warriors – not only face the tremendous challenge of this debilitating disease but oftentimes face inequities in care. Yet, they continue to persevere by raising lupus awareness, empowering one another and fighting to improve quality of life. This Lupus Awareness Month, and every month, I am motivated by the strength and resilience of the Lupus warrior community.”
Matt Gray, Executive Director, Respiratory Biologics Marketing: “Having spent more than 20 years at AZ working on a legacy of amazing asthma brands, I’m motivated every day to transform the way we treat asthma. More than a million patients suffer from severe uncontrolled asthma and as high as 80% of them have Eosinophilic asthma specifically. We have an enormous responsibility to make a difference, reducing exacerbations and the overuse of oral steroids while helping people to breath better so they can get back to doing what they love.”
Dave Guiga, Head of Portfolio Acceleration: “I’m inspired by the impact of innovative tools our team has developed to help individualize treatment like the AIRQ, a resource created in partnership with more than 200 HCPs to predict asthma exacerbations. The feedback we’ve received from HCPs and advocacy partners has been incredible. Knowing these solutions help optimize treatment plans at the moments that matter the most, like during the HCP-patient encounter, only encourages us to further push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
While many of us have a personal motivator behind our ambition to transform patient care, we collectively rally behind the same goal: making a meaningful difference for millions of people. When it comes to the pursuit of innovation, acceleration of care and helping patients live up to what’s clinically impossible, we are all in this together.
Learn more about how we’re continuing to innovate in Respiratory & Immunology care to help patients move beyond symptom control to disease modification, remission and, one day, cure.