An overview of medication adherence to asthma and COPD medications in Belgian community pharmacies

Introduction: Non-adherence is common in long-term therapy for chronic diseases. Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are chronic diseases particularly concerned by non-adherence in Belgium as shown in previous studies about inhaled corticoids. This non-adherence has been linked to uncontrolled asthma, increased risk of asthma or COPD exacerbations and finally higher mortality. The purpose of this study was to assess medication adherence to inhaled medications in asthma and COPD for all patients in Belgium.Methods: A retrospective study using pharmacy refill data from Pharma... Mehr ...