The first new treatment for asthma in 50 years.. Benralizumab

Helps treat millions of people around the world

Scientists said that the results of the new treatment for asthma attacks and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are more effective, and that this could be a "game changer" for millions of people with asthma and lung disease, around the world.

According to "Medical Express", the new treatment is an injection, called "Benralizumab", which is given during some asthma attacks and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and is more effective than the current treatment with steroid tablets.

A new treatment for asthma

The medical journal "Lancet" published the results of the treatment trial, describing it as a "new era in asthma treatment", as it was shown that the injection reduces the need for further treatment by 30%.

This injection is an already available drug, but the new experiment is to use it in a different area and time.

Acid exacerbation

The type of symptom exacerbation that the injection treats is called "acid exacerbation", and includes symptoms such as wheezing and coughing.

Chest tightness due to inflammation caused by high levels of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell).

Eosinophilic exacerbations account for up to 30% of COPD exacerbations and around 50% of asthma attacks.

They can become more frequent as the disease progresses, leading to irreversible lung damage in some cases.

According to the Daily Mail, treatment at the point of exacerbation for this type of asthma has not changed for more than 50 years, with steroid drugs becoming the mainstay of medication.

Steroids such as prednisolone can reduce inflammation in the lungs, but they have severe side effects, such as diabetes and osteoporosis.

Moreover, many patients fail treatment and need repeated courses of steroids, or are readmitted to hospital or die within months in some cases.

Emergencies

The results of a phase II clinical trial, led by scientists at King’s College London, showed that the benralizumab injection could be re-used in emergencies to reduce the need for further treatment and hospitalisation.

The trial found that a single dose of benralizumab could be more effective when injected at the point of exacerbation than steroid tablets.

At 28 days after the injection, respiratory symptoms such as cough, wheezing, shortness of breath and phlegm were found to be better with benralizumab.

At 90 days, the number of people who failed treatment in the benralizumab group was four times lower than in standard care using prednisolone.

Fewer visits to the doctor

Treatment with the benralizumab injection took longer to fail, meaning fewer attacks requiring a visit to the doctor or hospital.

There was also an improvement in quality of life for people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“This could be a game changer for people with asthma and COPD,” said lead researcher Dr Mona Bafadel, from King’s College London. “Treatment of asthma and COPD exacerbations has not changed in 50 years, despite causing 3.8 million deaths worldwide each year.”