Significant Progress in Combating Asthma and Chronic Lung Diseases After 50 Years of Effort

Scientists at King's College London have achieved a novel solution for combating asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that could be recognized as a milestone in medical history after 50 years of efforts to treat these diseases. In this trial, the drug 'benralizumab,' which had previously been used only in low and repeated doses as a treatment for severe asthma, was administered at a higher dose during severe asthma attacks. The results of this study, published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, show that injecting benralizumab in these conditions is more effective than conventional treatments using steroid pills and reduces the need for supplementary treatments by up to 30%. This advancement could be a major breakthrough for millions of patients suffering from asthma and COPD. Benralizumab, known as a monoclonal antibody, specifically targets white blood cells called eosinophils and reduces lung inflammation. This drug received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2016 for the treatment of eosinophilic asthma. Individuals with eosinophilic asthma suffer from inflammation of the airways, which is blocked by fluids and secretions, causing spasms that make breathing difficult. Professor Mona Bafazal, the lead researcher of this trial and a faculty member at King's College London, stated, 'Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases cause 3.8 million deaths worldwide each year; however, finding a treatment for these diseases has made no progress in the past half-century.' She added that this drug could change conditions for affected individuals. In this trial, participants, consisting of 158 patients who visited emergency departments for treatment of asthma attacks or COPD, underwent rapid blood tests to determine the type of attack they were facing, and those with 'eosinophilic exacerbation' were deemed suitable for treatment with benralizumab. Approximately 50% of asthma attacks and 30% of COPD attacks are eosinophilic exacerbations. In this trial, patients were divided into three groups: one group received benralizumab injections and placebo pills, another group received standard care including prednisolone steroids and a placebo injection, and the third group received both benralizumab and steroids. After 28 days, results showed that respiratory symptoms improved in the group that received benralizumab, whether with steroids or not. After 90 days, fewer patients in the benralizumab group experienced treatment failure compared to the steroid group. Patients also reported that, in addition to a reduced need for doctor or hospital visits, their quality of life improved under this new treatment regimen. Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases are the third leading cause of death worldwide. Recently, Dr. Maryam Mahlouji Rad, a member of the Iranian Asthma and Allergy Association, announced that 9 to 13 percent of various age groups in the country suffer from asthma.