Skip to content

QUARTZ: Comparative Effectiveness of Switching From Albuterol to Albuterol/Budesonide Versus Adding Low-dose ICS or LTRA to Albuterol

QUARTZ: Comparative Effectiveness of Switching From Albuterol to Albuterol/Budesonide Versus Adding Low-Dose Inhaled Corticosteroids or Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists to Albuterol Among Adults With Asthma in the United States

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07787117
Acronym
QUARTZ
Enrollment
2669
Registered
2026-08-26
Start date
2026-08-03
Completion date
2026-09-30
Last updated
2026-08-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Asthma

Brief summary

The QUARTZ study is a retrospective observational cohort study using a prevalent new-user design and U.S. healthcare claims data to evaluate treatment effectiveness among patients with asthma. The study compares the real-world effectiveness of switching from albuterol-only rescue therapy to albuterol/budesonide versus adding low-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) or leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) while continuing albuterol. The primary objective is to assess the comparative effectiveness of these treatment strategies in reducing severe asthma exacerbations in routine clinical practice in the United States.

Interventions

OTHERNone (observational study)

Not applicable since it's an observational study. There are three study cohorts: 1) Airsupra cohort 2)Albuterol and low-dose ICS comparator cohort and 3) Albuterol and LTRA comparator cohort.

Sponsors

AstraZeneca
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
RETROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Asthma patients with at least one prescription record (identified by NDC or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System \[HCPCS\] codes) for Airsupra (Airsupra cohort), LD ICS or LTRA, (comparator cohort) since January 2023. * Patients with at least one prescription record (based on NDC or HCPCS codes) of albuterol within the 12 months prior to the first Airsupra or the controller medications prescription date * Patients aged ≥18 years on the index date * Patients with ≥12 months of continuous insurance enrolment prior and 12 months after index date.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with at least one medical claim with an ICD-10 code within the 12 months prior to the index date for any of the chronic respiratory conditions or systemic inflammatory diseases routinely treated with systemic corticosteroids (SCS) * Patients with any prescription record for any ICS or other controller therapies (including SAMA, LABA, LAMA, LTRA, theophylline or biologics) within the 12 months prior to the and inclusive of index date (the index therapy defining cohort entry (LD ICS for the LD ICS cohort; LTRA for the LTRA cohort is permitted on the index date) * Patients with maintenance OCS use within the 12 months prior to and inclusive of the index date * Airsupra patients with a concomitant SABA prescription record on the index date

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Severe exacerbations during follow-up: annualized asthma exacerbation rates (AAER) by cohort, overall and by setting (IP, ED/urgent care, outpatient); plus absolute rates and rate ratios comparing Airsupra with each comparator cohortFollow-up starts the day after index and ends at the earliest of death, data end, insurance disenrollment, loss to follow-up, or switch to the alternative rescue treatment, up to 36 months; add-on maintenance therapy does not censor follow-up.To describe and compare the occurrence of severe exacerbations observed among the Airsupra cohort and each comparator cohort.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Time to first severe exacerbation: KM curves, median time by arm (if estimable), and Cox PH HRs comparing Airsupra with each comparator. Also, the proportion with at least 1 severe exacerbation at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after treatment initiation.Follow-up period for each patient starts the day after the index date and ends at the earliest date of death, end of data, end of insurance enrollment, loss to follow up, or switch to the alternative rescue treatment up to 36 monthsTo describe and compare the time to first severe exacerbation among the Airsupra cohort and each comparator cohort.
Cumulative inhaled corticosteroid exposure (beclomethasone equivalent µg/year)Follow-up period for each patient starts the day after the index date and ends at the earliest date of death, end of data, end of insurance enrollment, loss to follow up, or switch to the alternative rescue treatment up to 36 monthsTo describe exposure to corticosteroid treatments among the Airsupra cohort and each comparator cohort
Cumulative systemic corticosteroid exposure (prednisone equivalent mg/year)Follow-up period for each patient starts the day after the index date and ends at the earliest date of death, end of data, end of insurance enrollment, loss to follow up, or switch to the alternative rescue treatment up to 36 monthsTo describe exposure to corticosteroid treatments among the Airsupra cohort and each comparator cohort
Total SCS exposure daysFollow-up period for each patient starts the day after the index date and ends at the earliest date of death, end of data, end of insurance enrollment, loss to follow up, or switch to the alternative rescue treatment up to 36 monthsTo describe exposure to corticosteroid treatments among the Airsupra cohort and each comparator cohort
SCS burst ratesFollow-up period for each patient starts the day after the index date and ends at the earliest date of death, end of data, end of insurance enrollment, loss to follow up, or switch to the alternative rescue treatment up to 36 monthsTo describe exposure to corticosteroid treatments among the Airsupra cohort and each comparator cohort

Contacts

CONTACTAstraZeneca Clinical Study Information Center
information.center@astrazeneca.com1-877-240-9479

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 27, 2026