Asthma drug showed positive results in trials for people with nasal polyps
An asthma drug has shown positive results when used to treat nasal polyps, researchers have said.
Tezepelumab was first approved for treating asthma in 2021, but new research led by a University of Dundee professor has found it also reduces the size of nasal polyps and nasal blockages.
The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, say significant results were reported by users in as little as two-to-four weeks, compared with those who were given a placebo.
Other outcomes were reported, including improved smell and quality of life, and underlying sinus problems were also alleviated in some individuals.
The global trial was co-led by Professor Brian Lipworth, of the University of Dundee's school of medicine, a practicing consultant physician working in the departments of respiratory medicine and ear, nose and throat clinics.
Professor Lipworth, who is also head of the Scottish Centre for Respiratory Research, said: 'These results represent an important breakthrough in terms of therapy for patients suffering from severe chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps.
'I treat patients who are already using this drug for asthma – around a third of patients who have severe asthma also have nasal polyps.
'Many of them were reporting that their nasal polyp symptoms and related quality of life were greatly improved shortly after taking this drug in the clinic, where we also noticed their polyps had shrunk.
'However that was just real-life clinical experience, so it's fantastic to confirm that it can treat this condition too in the setting of a proper placebo-controlled trial.'
The drug, which has been approved in the UK for its use against asthma, is produced by pharmaceutical giants AstraZenica and Amgen.
The trial marks the first time the drug has been tested for treating nasal conditions.
Nasal polyps are thought to affect around 5% of the total population in the UK, and around 20% of patients with asthma.
A total of 408 participants with severe chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps, from ten different countries, were involved in the trial, named 'Waypoint', with 203 of those being given the active drug injections and the others being issued with a placebo.
All participants received a monthly dose over 52 weeks and the nasal polyps were then inspected with a telescope and symptoms reported as well as sinus scans, nasal flow measurement and formal smell testing.
John Ellerby, 70, of Tayport, Fife, has suffered from nasal polyps for nearly 40 years and has undergone three surgical procedures to remove growths from his sinuses.
He describes his condition as being akin to a 'one-way valve' through which he can breathe in but not out.
His symptoms include a constantly blocked nose, headaches, earaches, breathlessness to the point of needing an inhaler, coughing and mucus coming from his nose unnoticed.
The condition also affects his sleep and his moods, leading to irritability.
Despite not being initially told if he was given the active drug Tezepelumab or the placebo, Mr Ellerby says it became very clear to him when his sense of smell returned, around three months into the trial.
He said: 'I was going around the house sniffing everything – coffee, perfume, the flowers in the garden. It was fantastic.
'I walked along the beach enjoying the smell of the sea, I started playing squash again, and I was out with the dog doing 14,000 steps a day.
'I was doing things I hadn't been able to do since my 30s, I felt like a new man.'
Professor Lipworth says medicinal organisations such as the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) will ultimately advise the NHS on whether the drug should be rolled out on prescription.
The NHS will then decide if the drug is cost-effective and fit for purpose.
Hopeful the drug will be approved for treating nasal polyps, he said: 'All being well, if the price is right, Nice and SMC will decide on whether it's cost effective.
'Other drugs have gone through the same process but have been rejected on cost-effectiveness, so that's the problem, so we'll have to wait and see.'
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