British researchers say they have found the first new treatment for asthma attacks in 50 years. It could “revolutionize” care in such cases.
A new treatment for asthma attacks Photo: Shutterstock
Researchers at King’s College London claim to have discovered a new treatment for asthma attacks. The Benralizumab injection would diminish the action of the immune system which can often worsen the patient’s condition both in asthma and in the lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), writes the BBC.
Benralizumab is already used in the most severe cases, but the latest research suggests it could be used routinely for around two million asthma attacks in the UK each year.
It is also estimated that four people with asthma and 85 people with COPD die in the UK every day.
The research team from King’s College London says the drug could greatly help care in such cases. The findings came after the realization that not all asthma or COPD attacks are the same. Instead, different parts of the immune system react differently in different patients.
“Now we can see that there are different patterns of inflammation, we can be smarter and give the right treatment, to the right patient, at the right time“said Mona Bafadhel, researcher at King’s College.
Benralizumab targets a type of white blood cell called eosinophils, which can cause inflammation and damage to the lungs. Eosinophils are involved in about half of asthma attacks and a third of COPD attacks.
Better results
If such an attack, which involves shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and chest tightness, cannot be controlled with regular inhalers, then doctors currently prescribe steroids.
The study, carried out on 158 people, monitored the patients for three months after the administration of the treatment.
The results showed a failure rate of 74% when they were given steroids, and only 45% with the new treatment.
People treated with Benralizumab were less likely to be hospitalized, need another round of treatment, or die.
Mona Bafadhel says this could benefit a large number of people, as two million attacks a year “they are not a small number“.
“We haven’t had a change in treatment for 50 years, it will revolutionize the way we treat people when they are unwell“, Bafadhel also declared.
A better quality of life with the new medicine
Volunteers also reported improved symptoms and a better quality of life with the new drug. Alison Spooner, who is 55 and from Oxfordshire, was one of those who took part in the study. She has had asthma since childhood, but it has worsened over the past five years and she has had three major attacks.
“They seemed to be getting worse, the shortness of breath is pretty scary when you’re gasping and you have no reason to gasp though“said the patient.
She stated that she felt “totally different” after the injection and is still using his inhalers but “just because i was told to“.
“Unfortunately, no medication can completely get rid of your asthma, but this is the closest to doing it. In fact, it’s kind of a miracle”, adds Alison Spooner.
Benralizumab injection is not ready for widespread use. A larger trial, due to start in 2025 and lasting two years, will still be needed for scientists to be sure of each benefit. Anyone already receiving these medications should continue to follow the prescription.
This study will also need to evaluate the cost-effectiveness ratio, given that monoclonal antibodies, used in this therapy, are expensive drugs.
But Dr Sanjay Ramakrishnan, from the University of Oxford, said that all efforts so far “shows great promise“. Long-term steroid use is associated with side effects, including weight gain, diabetes and weak bones.
Geoffrey Pointing, 77, from Oxfordshire, who also took part in the study, said: “I had no side effects like I used to with steroid tablets. I never slept well the first night I was on steroids, but on the first day of the study, I was able to sleep and carry on with my life without problems“.
