A team of researchers from King’s College London (UK) has developed a revolutionary treatment for asthma attacks and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
This trailer, published in ‘The Lancet Respiratory Medicine‘, presents benralizumab as a more effective option than traditional oral steroids, reducing the need for additional treatments by 30%. A discovery that promises to transform the care of millions of patients worldwide.
Asthma and COPD attacks are responsible for millions of deaths each year, with a devastating impact on global health. Bronchial asthma is a common disease, whose prevalence in industrialized countries reaches 10-13% of the population. In the last 10 years, in Western European countries the prevalence has doubled and, in addition, 27% of the asthmatic population has needed care due to an exacerbation in the previous year.
This last circumstance explains Science Media Center José Gregorio Soto Campos, director of the Pulmonology and Allergy Clinical Management Unit of the Jerez Hospital and professor at the University of Cádiz, may be due to the fact that clinical control of the asthmatic population is deficient in Europe, as well as in the United States. Asthmatic exacerbations are a frequent phenomenon and are important, which is why applying a drug such as benralizumab In these situations, a larger pharmacoeconomic (cost/effectiveness) study would be required.
Current treatments, based on steroids such as prednisolone, can not only cause serious side effects, but are also not always effective.
The phase II clinical trial, called ABRA, compared three groups of patients: one treated with benralizumab, another with prednisolone, and a third with both treatments. After 28 days, patients receiving benralizumab showed significant improvements in respiratory symptoms, such as cough and shortness of breath. After 90 days, they had four times fewer relapses than those treated with steroids alone, in addition to requiring fewer hospitalizations.
Monoclonal antibody
This drug, a monoclonal antibody directed at eosinophils (key cells in lung inflammation), was already approved for the treatment of severe asthma, but now it demonstrates its effectiveness in the treatment of COPD and asthma attacks, revolutionizing the management of these diseases. .
The teacher Mona Bafadhelleader of the study, described the finding as “a paradigm shift” in the treatment of asthma and COPD.
This advance highlights how personalized medicine can significantly improve patients’ quality of life. Benralizumab could be administered not only in hospitals, but also in clinics and even at home, offering greater convenience and access to patients.
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