[Pharmaco-economics of asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease]

Health economics has become accepted as an important aspect, as it provides useful information on the costs to society associated with particular diseases and the cost-effectiveness of different treatment options. These considerations are particularly important in relation to common and chronic conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The direct and indirect cost associated with asthma and COPD and trends in the use of outpatient care, drugs and inpatient care were presented in this paper. It should be stressed that asthma therapy has changed from inpatient to ambulatory care, while the treatment of COPD is still based to a higher degree on inpatient care.