Depemokimab cuts exacerbation rate in eosinophilic asthma

For patients with severe asthma with an eosinophilic phenotype, depemokimab reduces the annualized rate of exacerbations, according to a study published online Sept. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the European Respiratory Society Congress, held from Sept. 7 to 11 in Vienna.

David J. Jackson, Ph.D., from King’s College London, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of depemokimab in patients with severe asthma and an eosinophilic phenotype characterized by a high eosinophil count and a history of exacerbations despite receipt of medium- or high-dose inhaled glucocorticoids.

Participants across two trials were randomly allocated to receive depemokimab (100 mg subcutaneously) or placebo at weeks 0 and 26, plus standard care (502 and 260, respectively).

The researchers found that the annualized rate of exacerbations was 0.46 and 1.11 with depemokimab and placebo, respectively, in SWIFT-1 and 0.56 and 1.08, respectively, in SWIFT-2 (rate ratios, 0.42 and 0.52). The change from baseline in the score on the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire did not differ significantly between groups in either trial. Both groups had a similar proportion of patients with any adverse event.

“The administration of depemokimab every six months reduced the annualized rate of exacerbations among patients with severe asthma with an eosinophilic phenotype,” the authors write.

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