Doctors hail 'gamechanger' in asthma and COPD treatment

Doctors are hailing a new way to treat serious asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) attacks that marks the first breakthrough for 50 years and could be a "gamechanger" for patients.

- Andrew Gregory

A trial found offering patients an injection was more effective than the current care of steroid tablets, and cut the need for further treatment by 30%. The results, published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal, could be transformative for millions of people with asthma and COPD around the world.

Benralizumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets specific white blood cells, called eosinophils, to reduce lung inflammation. It is used as a repeat treatment for severe asthma at a low dose, but the trial found a higher single dose could be very effective if injected at the time of a flare-up.

The lead investigator, Prof Mona Bafadhel of King's College London, said: "This could be a gamechanger. Treatment for asthma and COPD exacerbations have not changed in 50 years, despite causing 3.8m deaths worldwide a year combined.