Researchers say they have found the first new treatment for asthma attacks in 50 years.
An injection called Benralizumab dampens part of the immune system that can go into overdrive in flare-ups of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Benralizumab is already used in the most severe cases, but the latest research suggests it could be used routinely for around two million attacks in the UK each year.
The research team at King’s College London said the drug was a “game-changer” that could “revolutionise” care.
Benralizumab targets a type of white blood cell – called an eosinophil – that can cause inflammation and damage in the lungs.
Eosinophils are implicated in about half of asthma attacks and a third of COPD flare-ups.
If such an attack – involving difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing and chest tightness – cannot be controlled with regular inhalers then doctors currently prescribe a course of steroid tablets (and inhalers). But steroids have many side effects – e.g. if used longterm they can cause diabetes that can be permanent.
The study, on 158 people, monitored patients for three months after treatment for a flare-up.
The results in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine (Ramakrishnan, 2024) found a treatment failure rate of:
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74% when taking steroids
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45% with the new therapy.
People treated with the new therapy were less likely to be admitted to hospital, need another round of treatment or die.
Prof Bafadhel, who led the study, said,
This is a game-changer, we’ve not had a change in treatment for 50 years – it will revolutionise how we treat people when they’re really unwell”
