After 50 years of no progress, injection treatment has revolutionized the treatment of asthma and COPD attacks.

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After half a century of little progress in treating asthma attacks and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), new research could radically change the clinical landscape. The ABRA study, carried out by researchers from King’s College London and published in the journal Lancet of Respiratory Medicineshows that Benralizumab, an injectable drug, is more effective than traditional steroids such as prednisolone. This monoclonal antibody reduced the need for additional treatment, hospitalization and doctor visits by 30%. Additionally, it improved patients’ symptoms and quality of life.

Asthma attacks and exacerbations of COPD, which can be fatal, affect millions of people around the world. In the UK, these diseases cause 89 deaths a day and cost the health system £5.9 billion annually. A special subtype of these crises, eosinophilic exacerbations, affects 50% of asthma patients and 30% of COPD patients. This type of exacerbation is characterized by inflammation of the lungs caused by high levels of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell.

Benralizumab reduced the need for additional treatment, hospitalizations and doctor visits by 30%.

Until now, corticosteroid-based treatments such as prednisolone have been the standard option. However, they have serious limitations: serious side effects such as osteoporosis and diabetes, and lack of therapeutic response in many patients. The aim of the ABRA study was to evaluate the effectiveness of benralizumab in these cases. The study included 158 patients divided into three groups. One received a benralizumab injection with oral placebo, another was treated with the current standard of care prednisone, and the third combined both treatments.

The results were stunning. After 90 days of follow-up, it was noted that patients receiving benralizumab had a significantly lower relapse rate. They also showed marked improvement in symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough and wheezing compared to those treated solely with steroids. In turn, the time to the next exacerbation episode was longer in the benralizumab group, suggesting greater long-term disease control.

Time to next exacerbation was longer in the benralizumab group.

Professor Mona Bafadel, lead author of the study, emphasized the relevance of these results, noting that “Treatment for asthma and exacerbations of COPD has not changed in 50 years. This test shows that Targeted treatments such as benralizumab may be more effective and safer than steroids. offering a promising alternative for millions of people.”

Although benralizumab is already used for maintenance treatment of severe asthma, this study examined its use during an exacerbation. This could greatly expand its clinical use. According to Scienceexperts like it Dr. Jose Gregorio Soto Campos, pulmonologist from the Jerez Hospital, emphasize the importance of additional studies assessing the cost-benefit ratio, especially in patients with COPD, the results of which are still preliminary.

With more than one billion people worldwide living with asthma and COPD, this advance promises to change the standard of care by improving the prognosis and quality of life for those who suffer from these chronic respiratory diseases.