The University of Leicester has led a ground-breaking study, funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and EU-funded project AirPROM, on a new drug that may in future contribute to the treatment of severe asthma.
The study, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal, examined the effects on inflammation in the airway by measuring the sputum eosinophil count (inflammation measurement of a white blood cell that increases in asthma and is used to assess the severity of this condition). The rate in people with moderate-to-severe asthma taking the medication was reduced from an average of 5.4 percent to 1.1 percent (close to rate observed in people who do not have asthma) over 12 weeks.
“This new treatment could help to stop preventable asthma attacks, reduce hospital admissions and improve day-to-day symptoms, making it a game changer for future treatment”, said Professor Christopher Brightling, coordinator of the AirPROM project. EFA now waits for the usual process of clinical trial end information and regulators evaluation and will monitor the progress.
You can read the summary here: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(16)30179-5/abstract
To know more about this project, please visit our dedicated AirPROM section.