AstraZeneca on Tuesday said it will launch five Centers of Excellence across New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Goa, and Kochi to provide standardised treatment to patients with severe asthma.

The centers will serve as a hub for the treatment and management of severe asthma patients, and support evolving severe asthma centres for a systematic and guidelines-based approach to identifying and treating severe asthma patients, the company said in a release.

The Centers for severe asthma, as per the guidelines established by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), would concentrate on specialty and clinical assessment, diagnosis, patient counselling, biologic initiation, and data management related to severe asthma.

The British-Swedish drug maker which has a portfolio of inhaled and biologic medicines against asthma aims to transform the treatment of severe asthma by eliminating preventable asthma attacks across all severity levels through biology-led treatment.

In India, severe asthma is largely managed by oral glucocorticoids that have potential side effects like osteoporosis, hypertension, ulcers, weight gain, among others.

“Our goal is to establish more such centers of excellence throughout the country and tackle complications by continually monitoring patients, educating HCPs, and improving respiratory health for all,” said Dr. Anil Kukreja, vice-president, Medical Affairs & Regulatory, AstraZeneca India.