Uncontrolled Asthma in Hispanic/Latino Patients Improved With Tezepelumab

Among patients of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity with severe, uncontrolled asthma in 2 clinical trials, those who received tezepelumab had a lower rate of exacerbations and hospitalizations at 1 year than those who received placebo, according to study results presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting, held from November 10 to 14, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Researchers conducted a post hoc analysis of pooled data from the phase 2b PATHWAY and phase 3 NAVIGATOR studies (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT02054130 and NCT03347279, respectively) to assess the efficacy of tezepelumab in patients of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity with severe, uncontrolled asthma.

The multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled PATHWAY and NAVIGATOR trials had similar designs and enrolled patients aged 12 to 80 years who received tezepelumab 210 mg or placebo subcutaneously every 4 weeks for up to 52 weeks. Investigators assessed the annualized asthma exacerbation rate (AAER) and the annualized rate of asthma exacerbations requiring hospitalization over 52 weeks.

Among the 1334 patients in the 2 trials, 166 self-identified as Hispanic or Latino, of whom 45% were from Argentina, 27% were from the United States, and 24% were from Brazil. Hispanic/Latino patients vs non-Hispanic/Latino patients at baseline had a higher percentage-predicted pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (67.5% vs 61.3%, respectively). Also, more Hispanic/Latino patients had perennial allergy (77.1% vs 58.8%, respectively), and fewer Hispanic/Latino patients were receiving maintenance oral corticosteroids (2.4% vs 10.1%, respectively).

The AAER in Hispanic/Latino patients was 1.67 with placebo and 1.11 with tezepelumab (34% [95% CI, –7, 59] decrease vs placebo). The annualized rate of asthma exacerbations that required hospitalization in Hispanic/Latino participants was 0.12 with placebo and 0.00 with tezepelumab (100% [95% CI, not calculable, 100] decrease vs placebo).

Overall, “Among patients of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity with severe, uncontrolled asthma, tezepelumab recipients had a lower rate of exacerbations over 52 weeks, including those requiring hospitalization,” said study authors.