Aerocrine announce that NICE guidelines support the FeNO measurement in diagnosis and management of asthma

NICE develops evidence-based guidelines that help the National Health Services, local authorities and the wider medical community deliver high-quality healthcare to the British public. The new guidelines recommend that FeNO tests be used to assist with the diagnosis and management of asthma caused by allergic airway inflammation in adults and children who, after initial clinical examination, are considered to have an intermediate probability of having asthma and when FeNO testing is intended to be done in combination with other diagnostic options.

Aerocrine’s NIOX MINO and NIOX VERO measure FeNO levels. Healthcare professionals use FeNO testing to identify allergic airway inflammation in patients with suspected asthma, to help predict patient response to corticosteroid therapy and to help assess patient adherence to the prescribed therapy. NIOX MINO and NIOX VERO produce objective, reliable and accurate results and are built on the recommendations from the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS). FeNO measurement is also recommended by NICE as an option to support asthma management in people who are symptomatic despite using inhaled corticosteroids.

Professor Carole Longson, NICE Health Technology Evaluation Centre Director, said: “Diagnosing asthma is often a very complicated and lengthy process. Using these devices can provide additional information for clinicians about those people who, following clinical examination, are considered to have an intermediate probability of having asthma.

Professor Longson added: “In people already diagnosed with asthma, measuring nitric oxide levels to guide their asthma management is likely to reduce asthma attacks. The measurements can reveal whether they are taking their medication as prescribed.”

The NICE report points out that poorly controlled asthma can have a serious impact on the quality of life of the patient and their family and that the use of FeNO testing in conjunction with existing tests is more cost-effective than when the existing tests are used alone.

NICE’s Diagnostics Advisory Committee, which is made up of leading clinicians and academics, made its recommendations after hearing from specialists that high FeNO levels in people with symptoms suggestive of asthma, such as coughing or wheezing, may indicate that the patient has eosinophilic asthma, which may be treated with inhaled corticosteroids.

“The Committee heard from a patient expert that an accurate diagnosis of asthma can sometimes take many years, resulting in less than optimal treatment, which can have a direct impact on health. It was also stated that FeNO-guided management could result in patients better understanding their own condition and disease progression, which could reduce hospitalisations and improve patient experience.”

After hearing that approximately 30% of people do not take their medications as prescribed, the NICE committee concluded that: “FeNO testing could potentially enable patients and doctors to improve treatment concordance in patients who are on medications for asthma.”

Aerocrine’s UK Managing Director David Plotts welcomed the latest NICE guidelines. “Numerous studies across the world have concluded that FeNO can be used to support more effective diagnosis and management of asthma,” he said. “Our NIOX MINO® and NIOX VERO® devices are already in use by many GPs, nurses and specialist clinicians in both primary and secondary care sites across the UK. “We now look forward to more UK patients being able to gain access to this cutting-edge method of testing airway inflammation and the benefits it can provide.”

Ian Pavord, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Oxford, described the new recommendations as a “hugely significant step forward for patients with asthma or those who are suspected of having asthma.”

Professor Pavord added that “using FeNO gives GPs, nurses and specialist respiratory teams an important tool to identify inflammation that is likely to respond to inhaled steroids. This is often the key clinical question.”

Aerocrine’s CEO Scott Myers confirmed how important these recommendations are both to the UK and other key markets “my belief is that this will help accelerate the adoption of this technology throughout the UK in second half of 2014 and early 2015 and will provide the incentive for Clinical Commissioning Groups to seriously consider supporting the FeNO test within their GP practices. These factors should contribute to the positive growth of the UK market. These recommendations are viewed by many countries who value the process and credibility that NICE provides and is another step in ensuring that FeNO is regarded as an integral part of standard asthma care.”

NICE has also developed tools including an implementation pack to support the uptake and adoption of the technology across the NHS. The implementation pack, which can be found at http://guidance.nice.org.uk/DG12/AdoptionSupport includes case studies from hospitals and GP surgeries that currently use NIOX MINO and NIOX VERO and will contain useful information and practical advice on putting this guidance into practice.

The full NICE guidance can be found at: http://guidance.nice.org.uk/DG12/Guidance/pdf/English

For more information, contact:

Scott Myers, Chief Executive Officer, Aerocrine AB, Phone: +46 768 788 379, +970 368 0336

David Plotts, Vice President, UK Managing Director and EU/RoW Sales. +44 (0) 7891 433239

Dr. Kathy Rickard, Chief Medical Officer, Aerocrine AB +919 749 6708

About Aerocrine

Aerocrine AB is a medical technology company focused on the improved management and care of patients with inflammatory airway diseases. As the pioneer and leader in technology to monitor and manage airway inflammation, Aerocrine markets NIOX MINO® and NIOX VERO® (EU) Both products enable fast and reliable management of airway inflammation and may therefore play a critical role in more effective diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with inflammatory airway diseases such as asthma. Aerocrine is based in Sweden with subsidiaries in the U.S., Germany and the U.K. Aerocrine shares were listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 2007.

Aerocrine may be required to disclose the information provided herein pursuant to the Securities Markets Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication at 1:00 PM on 04/02/2014

Source: Aerocrine