Benralizumab Reduces Rescue Medication Use in Severe Eosinophilic Asthma

This article is part of Pulmonology Advisor‘s coverage of the ACAAI 2018 meeting, taking place in Seattle, Washington. Our staff will report on medical research related to allergy, asthma, and more conducted by experts in the field. Check back regularly for more news from ACAAI 2018.

SEATTLE — Therapy involving high-dose inhaled treatments that contained benralizumab helped reduce the use of rescue medication in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma with eosinophilic inflammation, according to research presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, held November 15th through 19th, 2018, in Seattle.

Investigators sought to examine the effect of benralizumab on the use of rescue medication in patients with severe, uncontrolled eosinophilic asthma. Patients aged 12 to 75 years with severe, uncontrolled asthma and blood eosinophil counts ≥300 cells/µL were included in the study; patient data was pooled from 2 Phase 3 studies: the 48-week SIROCCO trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01928771; n=1204) and the 56-week CALIMA trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01914757; n=1306). Participants experienced ≥2 exacerbations in the year prior to enrolling in the Phase 3 studies. They received either benralizumab therapy (30 mg) or placebo every 8 weeks, with the first 3 doses administered every 4 weeks. Patients continued their existing high-dose inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting β2-agonist therapies. Use of rescue medication (including daily, daytime, or nighttime use or nighttime awakenings requiring rescue medication use) was evaluated at days 1, 3, and 7, and at the end of treatment.

The study results showed that daily and nighttime rescue medication use and nighttime awakenings requiring rescue medication use was reduced by day 3 in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma who received benralizumab every 8 weeks. The investigators also observed reductions in daytime rescue medication use by day 7 (all nominal P ≤.013).

Patients with severe, uncontrolled eosinophilic asthma who initiated benralizumab therapy reduced their daily rescue medication use as soon as day 3, and the therapeutic effects were maintained through the end of treatment.  

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Reference

O’Quinn S, Xu X, Hirsch I. Rescue medication use reduction with benralizumab for patients with severe, uncontrolled eosinophilic asthma. Presented at: the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; November 15-19, 2018; Seattle, WA. Abstract D200.