Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are significant health challenges, with asthma affecting around 600,000 New Zealanders  - with one in seven children and one in eight adults living with the condition. 

Tragically, asthma contributes to an average of 60 deaths per year in New Zealand, and Māori and Pasifika communities are disproportionately affected. 

New research out this week in the journal The Lancet could offer fresh hope. 

For the first time in 50 years, a new drug, benralizumab, has shown remarkable potential for treating severe asthma attacks. Clinical trials, led by researchers at King’s College London, revealed that the drug outperformed conventional steroid tablets in treating life-threatening breathing difficulties caused by a severe form of asthma known as eosinophilic asthma. 

This type of asthma, which involves white blood cells called eosinophils, leads to inflammation that can cause the airways to swell and close. It’s responsible for nearly half of all emergency asthma flare-ups and contributes to severe exacerbations of COPD as well. 

The trials demonstrated that patients who received an injection of benralizumab during an attack were less likely to experience symptoms like wheezing and breathlessness even four weeks later, compared to those treated with steroids. Importantly, these patients also reported a significant improvement in their overall quality of life, marking a shift in how we could manage these conditions moving forward. 

Asthma and COPD place a heavy burden on New Zealand’s healthcare system, with thousands of hospital admissions every year. The reliance on steroid tablets during flare-ups has long been the standard treatment. While steroids can reduce inflammation, they don’t work for everyone, and repeated use carries risks, including diabetes and osteoporosis. 

Benralizumab offers a different approach by specifically targeting eosinophils, providing a more precise and effective treatment option. This treatment could improve outcomes for over a billion people globally. 

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