Effectiveness of inhaled therapies in asthma among adults in Northern Sri Lanka, a low-income and middle-income country: a prospective observational study

Both ICS monotherapy and ICS/LABA were effective in controlling asthma. Though control was greater with ICS/LABA, the effect of additional monitoring during the follow-up was higher and significant in ICS monotherapy. Considering the low access to ICS/LABA, a treatment package comprising ICS plus non-pharmacological approaches could be a more realistic and cost-effective treatment strategy in the local context. ICS/LABA could be reserved for patients who fail to respond. However, this observation needs to be confirmed by interventional studies.