A large clinical trial published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine has found that a monthly injection of tezepelumab may offer an alternative for people whose asthma is so severe that conventional inhalers fail to control it.
These patients often rely on long-term oral corticosteroids, which can help prevent dangerous flare-ups but carry significant risks, including bone loss, diabetes, and heightened vulnerability to infection.
Researchers involved in the Wayfinder trial, conducted across 11 countries and led by King’s College London, followed just under 300 adults who were taking daily steroid tablets.
The participants received tezepelumab every four weeks for a year.
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According to the study, more than half were able to come off steroids entirely without a worsening of symptoms, and nearly 90 % reduced their daily dose to a low level.
How Tezepelumab works
Tezepelumab, marketed as Tezspire by AstraZeneca, blocks a key inflammatory protein linked to asthma.
The drug was approved in the UK in 2023 for patients over 12 whose symptoms remain uncontrolled.
The trial’s lead author, Prof David Jackson of King’s College London, said the findings were especially promising for people coping with both upper and lower airway disease.
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“As tezepelumab also suppresses allergy-related symptoms and improves chronic rhinosinusitis as well, the results are particularly exciting for patients with severe asthma who suffer with both upper and lower airway symptoms,” he said according to The Guardian.
Why the findings matter
Asthma charities and medical organisations have welcomed the results but cautioned that clinical guidelines will need to review the evidence.
Dr Samantha Walker of Asthma + Lung UK called the findings “an incredibly encouraging development,” accoridng to The Guardian, adding that investment in lung research remains urgently needed.
Prof Kamila Hawthorne of the Royal College of GPs said any treatment that helps patients manage symptoms more easily “would be welcome,” though she stressed the importance of further evaluation.
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The results, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine and presented at the British Thoracic Society winter meeting, also showed improvements in lung function, symptom control, and quality of life.
Two-thirds of participants experienced no asthma attacks during the study, a meaningful outcome for those living with the most severe forms of the disease.
Sources: The Guardian, and The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.