Propeller Health, a respiratory digital health company, released data last week showing that asthma and COPD patients have become more adherent to their medication since the COVID-19 crisis began, showing a relative increase of 14.5% in controller medication adherence since January, with most improvement seen at the end of March.

Kathryn Whitney, MSc, Director of Thematic Analysis at GlobalData comments: “A number of respiratory experts and national associations have released statements and guidance in the past few weeks strongly recommending that asthma and COPD patients continue to take their medication as needed during the pandemic. These data from Propeller Health certainly show an increase in medication adherence indicating that patients are taking this advice seriously in order to avoid unnecessary hospital visits.

“Studies have shown that patients that use digital tools to track and manage chronic conditions such as asthma and COPD tend to have higher adherence rates. These types of tools and apps will play a crucial role during the COVID-19 crisis as more patients remain in lockdown, managing chronic conditions and communicating with healthcare physicians from home.”