As someone who suffers from asthma, Ishani Vijayadeva, 12, from St Helen’s School, in London, is excited by the potential of a new drug, which promises to treat COPD too.
Asthma. A horrific disease that, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), affected 262 million people worldwide in 2019. Including me.
Asthma has affected many aspects of my life, such as my education, daily routine, and physical health.
I remember one time in Year 2 when I had to miss a week and a day of school due to my asthma having flared up, meaning I had to miss out on essential learning.
Asthma attacks and a lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) flare-ups, also called exacerbations, can be deadly. Every day in the UK, an estimated four people with asthma and 85 people with COPD will die, and according to WHO, these conditions led to 455,000 deaths in 2019 alone.
But this could be set to change.
Late last year, researchers at King’s College London discovered what they are heralding as a game-changing new asthma attack treatment, the first in 50 years. It can be used routinely by asthma patients, and could prevent around two million attacks in the UK each year.
The drug Benralizumab is a monoclonal antibody which can be administered as an injection and targets specific white blood cells, called eosinophils, to reduce lung inflammation. The injection dampens part of the immune system that can go into overdrive in flare-ups of both asthma and COPD, also called exacerbations. Eosinophilic exacerbations make up to 30% of COPD flare-ups and almost 50% of asthma attacks.
On the other hand, some people may argue that benralizumab is not ready for widescale use yet, as it will take a larger trial to be certain of any benefit, due to start this year, and lasting approximately two years and eight months.
While this is true, it is incredible that a new treatment for asthma and COPD has been discovered, so people need to be patient; it could well benefit a huge number of people.
As well as this, people may also think that there is already a treatment for asthma. Steroid tablets. While this may be the case, steroids have serious side-effects, such as increasing the risk of diabetes, and osteoporosis. Furthermore, nearly one-third of patients treated with steroids will see their symptoms worsen again within a month, requiring more treatment, and increasing the risk of side effects.
Moreover, research described in the medical journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine found a treatment failure rate of 74% when taking steroids and 45% with the new treatment, proving benralizumab to be more effective than steroids.
The ongoing trials have found that a single dose of Benralizumab injected at the point of exacerbation can be more effective compared to steroid tablets, reducing symptoms, side effects, and improving the quality of life for people with asthma and COPD.
In conclusion, this ground-breaking discovery of how Benralizumab can be used routinely really could be game-changing, for millions of people just like me, suffering from asthma and COPD.
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