Exhaled nitric oxide needs to be measured in asthma patients

Aug 21 2009

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the largest health care insurer in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA, has adopted a policy stating that measurement of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) is considered medically necessary in the management of asthma patients.

Uncontrolled asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic medical conditions in the United States, responsible for millions of emergency room visits, days lost at work and school, and billions of dollars in direct and indirect costs. Airway inflammation can lead to life-threatening asthma attacks, and long-term inflammation can drastically compromise lung capacity over a lifetime.

The founders of Aerocrine made the original discovery that nitric oxide in exhaled breath is elevated in patients with asthma and the company has since pioneered the development of the method to monitor airway inflammation by measuring eNO.

In its July 2009 policy update, CareFirst refers to studies stating that eNO can be used effectively to predict and avoid relapse and to monitor compliance with medication, as well as improving diagnosis and indicate possible environmental influences affecting the patient. Concluding that eNO measurement is the only routine clinical test for airway inflammation that can be performed conveniently in the office setting, CareFirst makes specific reference to Aerocrine’s portable eNO measurement device NIOX MINO®. “CareFirst’s policy is an important stepping stone towards improved asthma treatment in the United States”, says Chip Neff, President of Aerocrine Inc.

Aerocrine’s first device, NIOX, received CE clearance in Europe in 2000 and US FDA clearance in 2003, and NIOX MINO, the first handheld device was cleared for clinical practice in Europe in 2004 and by the FDA in early 2008. To date, more than 2.5 million patient tests have been performed using Aerocrine’s systems.

“Aerocrine’s method to improve asthma control is rapidly gaining acceptance across the world through inclusions in clinical guidelines and health insurance systems”, says Paul de Potocki, CEO of Aerocrine AB. “We are very happy that CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has decided to change their policy to now cover exhaled Nitric Oxide for its members”.