Researchers say a new method to treat serious asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could be a “game changer,” marking the first serious advance in treatment in 50 years.
The Guardian reports that a trial conducted in the UK found that an injection of benralizumab was more effective than the steroid tablets currently used and cut the need for further treatment by 30 percent. Benralizumab, marketed by AstroZenica under the brand name Fasenra, targets a specific type of white blood cell to reduce lung inflammation. While currently used as a repeat treatment for severe asthma at a low dose, researchers found that a higher single dose could be effective if injected in response to a flare-up.
“Treatment for asthma and COPD exacerbations have not changed in 50 years, despite causing 3.8 million deaths worldwide a year combined,” Mona Bafadhel, lead investigator and a professor at King’s College London, told the Guardian. This new use of benralizumab “could be a game changer” for the more than 800 million people living with these conditions.
[See more: The WHO’s annual report shows progress in global health]
In the trial, patients seeking medical attention at A&E for asthma or COPD attacks were given a quick blood test and those suffering from “eosinophilic exacerbation” were sorted into three groups of around 52 people. One group received a benralizumab injection and dummy tablets, the second a dummy injection and the standard prednisone steroid tablets (30mg a day for five days), and the third received both a benralizumab injection and prednisone tablets.
After 28 days, the patients that received benralizumab injections showed improvement in respiratory symptoms (coughing, wheezing, breathlessness and sputum) regardless of whether they were given dummy tablets or steroids. After 90 days, there were four times fewer people in the benralizumab group who failed treatment (required acute care) compared to those who received steroids. Benralizumab also took longer to fail, keeping patients out of A&E and improving their quality of life.
Benralizumab is also much safer, with the only serious side effect being severe allergic reactions, while steroids can put patients at risk of diabetes and osteoporosis. The trial researchers believe it could potentially be administered in a doctor’s office or at home, rather than requiring a visit to A&E. According to AstraZenica – which provided the drug for the study and funded the research but had no input into trial design, delivery, analysis or interpretation – benralizumab is currently approved in more than 80 countries including China, the US, EU member nations, and Japan.
