According to the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the European Respiratory Society, the annual cost of asthma is estimated to be $16.1 billion in the US and $16.3 billion in the EU. Over 41.5 million people, equivalent to the population of Spain, are afflicted by asthma, including 9.5 million children, 24.5 million adults and 7.5 million seniors.

• Comprehensive overview of asthma epidemiology by patient demographic and disease severity, with comments on future trends to 2015
• Analysis of drug treatment choice per line therapy per region for asthma, in particular the use of combination products
• Identification of key developmental compounds, with analysis of physicians' opinions on potential therapies

Asthma prevalence rates are stabilizing and changing demographics, not increasing prevalence, will bear the greatest influence on the asthma burden in the coming years. The total population diagnosed with asthma will increase to 35.1 million by 2015, with the proportion of elderly patients with asthma increasing substantially.

Five million adult asthmatics may have predominantly neutrophilic inflammation, raising important implications for treatment practice. These asthmatics may have a diminished or suboptimal sensitivity to corticosteroids, and alternative anti-inflammatory agents are required.

There is considerable scope for expanding the patient base of combination products driven by high patient compliance, the certainty that long-acting bronchodilators are always prescribed with inhaled corticosteroids, and the simplification of disease management.

• Gain up-to-date understanding of current therapy usage and selection choices per region
• Review the risk factors, population size and clinical characteristics of asthmatics with predominantly neutrophilic inflammation
• Justify internal unmet needs assessment versus external viewpoint