A significant clinical trial has demonstrated that a monthly injection of tezepelumab enabled 90% of severe asthma patients to reduce their daily steroid tablets, with more than half able to stop steroids entirely without worsening symptoms.
Key Findings from the WAYFINDER Study
The research, led by King's College London and published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, followed over 300 patients across 68 clinical centers in 11 countries who received tezepelumab injections every four weeks for one year.
Results included:
- 90% of participants reduced their daily steroid dose
- Over 50% stopped steroid tablets completely
- Two-thirds of patients experienced no asthma attacks during the study
- Significant improvements in asthma symptoms, lung function, and quality of life
- Benefits observed as early as two weeks into treatment
How Tezepelumab Works
Tezepelumab is an antibody-based biologic therapy that targets parts of the immune system to reduce lung inflammation, offering an alternative to steroids without their associated side effects. The treatment is already NICE-approved in the UK.
Why This Matters
Long-term daily steroid use carries serious health risks, including osteoporosis, diabetes, and increased infection susceptibility. This treatment offers hope for patients with severe asthma who previously had limited options beyond continuous steroid therapy.
Professor David Jackson noted that tezepelumab also helps with allergy-related symptoms and chronic rhinosinusitis, making it particularly valuable for patients suffering from both upper and lower airway symptoms.
The findings will be presented at the British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting 2025 in late November.
