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A new drug has been hailed as the first effective treatment for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 50 years. Benralizumab suppresses a part of the immune system that can cause those flare-ups. The drug, which targets eosinophil cells, reduces the failure rate of treatment significantly, according to clinical trials carried out by a team from London’s King’s College. The study indicated that just under half (45%) failed to respond to the medication, compared with 75% who took steroid treatments to manage their condition.
Around two million attacks occur in the UK every year, and researchers hope the new drug will become standard treatment for them. Although Benralizumab is already used to relieve the most severe cases, this latest research indicates that it could become a routine drug for people who suffer flare-ups. The study revealed that it also resulted in patients, including 55-year-old trial participant Alison Spooner, experiencing significantly better management of their symptoms.
“It’s a bit of a miracle actually”, Spooner said. “Unfortunately, no drug gets rid of asthma completely, but this is the nearest thing.” Eosinophils cause around half of asthma attacks, with up to a third of COPD flare-ups resulting from the same issue. The drug dampens their effects, reducing inflammation and damage caused to sufferers’ lungs.
“It will revolutionise how we treat people when they’re really unwell”, said Professor Mona Bafadhel from King’s College London. She said the medication was a “game-changer”. The treatment failure rate for those who took the drug was 45%, compared to 74% for those taking steroids. The drug is not expected to be ready for full rollout until after a larger trial has taken place in 2025, due to concerns over the cost of the medication, which is expensive as it is a monoclonal antibody
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