In Singapore, asthma has become such a common illness that many of us fail to see the severity and importance of regular medication. A study done by the Singapore Department of Statistics, revealed that for every 10,000 students examined, 1026 male and 757 female students had asthma.
Despite this, doctors say asthma patients do not take their medication regularly as prescribed, taking it only in the event of an attack. "But because of the lack of awareness, patients in Singapore are generally under-treating and underestimating the severity of their condition," said Dr Jagadesan Raghuram. Also, local data shows that 41 per cent of asthma-related admissions in Singapore could be easily avoided - if patients took regular medication.
Hence, global medicine company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has reduced asthma medication by 30% and hopes that the reduction will help patients handle their condition on a more regular basis. GSK says the price reduction is aligned with the goal for this year's World Asthma Day - which is to cut emergency admissions and hospitalisation by 50 per cent in five years.