Benralizumab Maintains Remission in Asthma in Some, Not All

Medscape

06-05-2025

Clinical remission was achieved and sustained in nearly one third of patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) receiving benralizumab for up to 2 years, with better outcomes in biologic-naive patients than in biologic-experienced patients.
METHODOLOGY:
Researchers conducted a real-world study to evaluate if long-term remission was viable among adult patients with SEA (mean age at the index date, 55.2 years; 58.7% women) who received benralizumab for up to 96 weeks between 2018 and 2023.
Of the 1070 patients included, 662 were biologic naive and 404 were biologic experienced; 55% received maintenance oral corticosteroids at baseline.
The major outcome was clinical remission (defined as a composite of the absence of exacerbations, no use of maintenance oral corticosteroids, and well-controlled asthma) at weeks 0, 48, and 96.
The association between baseline characteristics and the status of clinical remission at weeks 48 and 96 was also determined.
TAKEAWAY:
Clinical remission was achieved in 0.4% of patients at baseline, in 39.0% at week 48, and in 31.0% at week 96, with biologic-naive patients showing higher remission rates than biologic-experienced patients (36.0% vs 23.0%).
Exacerbation-free status was achieved in 3.3% of patients at baseline, in 72.0% at week 48, and in 60.0% at week 96, with a greater number of biologic-naive patients being exacerbation-free than biologic-experienced ones (67.0% vs 55.0%).
Overall, the proportion of patients not using maintenance oral corticosteroids increased from 65% at baseline to 76% at weeks 48 and 96.
A lower dose of maintenance oral corticosteroids, lower body mass index, and higher blood eosinophil count at baseline were associated with achieving remission at week 96.
IN PRACTICE:
'Outcomes were maintained irrespective of previous biologic use and key baseline characteristics that clinicians typically consider in their therapeutic decision-making. Patients with lower disease burden were more likely to achieve clinical remission, reinforcing the importance of early treatment intervention,' the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
This study was led by Girolamo Pelaia, MD, Università Magna Graecia in Catanzaro, Italy. It was published online on April 19, 2025, in CHEST .
LIMITATIONS:
This study lacked a control arm. The limited availability of data on lung function restricted its inclusion in the remission composite. The COVID-19 pandemic overlapped with the period of data collection, potentially affecting outcomes.
DISCLOSURES:
This study was supported by AstraZeneca. Several authors reported being employees of and owning stock in AstraZeneca. Some others reported having other ties with AstraZeneca and various sources.