Study shows benralizumab’s efficacy in treating severe eosinophilic asthma
Benralizumab demonstrates significant efficacy in treating severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) in both biologic-naïve and biologic-experienced patients, according to a study. The study findings indicate that benralizumab leads to durable and profound clinical benefits, including substantial reductions in asthma exacerbations, improvements in lung function, and enhanced asthma control. Importantly, these benefits are observed regardless of previous biologic therapy, suggesting that nearly complete depletion of eosinophils is highly beneficial in controlling SEA.
The study focused on patients who often require multiple biologic therapies due to overlapping inflammatory features.
A total of 124 biologic-naïve and 38 biologic-experienced patients were assessed. Among the biologic-experienced group, 34.2% had previously used mepolizumab, 55.3% had used omalizumab, and 10.5% had received both biologics.
Patients who had previously used mepolizumab showed the longest duration of SEA (median of 4.6 years), the highest prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) at 76.5%, and the greatest daily oral corticosteroid (OCS) dosage (median of 25 mg prednisone equivalent). Conversely, those previously treated with omalizumab exhibited the highest severe annual exacerbation rate (AER) at 1.70.
At the 96-week mark, treatment with benralizumab led to significant reductions in both any and severe AER by more than 87% and 94%, respectively, across all patient groups. Lung function remained preserved, with notable improvements seen in the mepolizumab group, which also experienced a 100% drop in median OCS dose. Moreover, the Asthma Control Test (ACT) score improved in the biologic-naïve group, while its increment varied among biologic-experienced patients, particularly between omalizumab and mepolizumab subsets (median ACT score of 23.5 and 18, respectively).
Reference
Cameli P, Aliani M, Altieri E, et al. Sustained Effectiveness of Benralizumab in Naïve and Biologics-Experienced Severe Eosinophilic Asthma Patients: Results from the ANANKE Study. J Asthma Allergy. 2024;17:273-290. doi: 10.2147/JAA.S438981. PMID: 38562251; PMCID: PMC10982664.
