REDUCTIONS IN EXACERBATIONS OF SEVERE ASTHMA PATIENTS TREATED WITH BENRALIZUMAB – ZEPHYR 3

Abstract

<h3>Introduction</h3> Eosinophilic asthma is the most common phenotype of severe asthma. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of benralizumab, which is approved for severe eosinophilic asthma, on asthma exacerbations. <h3>Methods</h3> Using claims and laboratory data from a large US health plan, this retrospective cohort study described the exacerbation rates of patients initiating benralizumab between 11/01/2017 and 07/31/2021. Patients=12 years old with an asthma diagnosis, =12 months of insurance enrollment pre- and post-initiation, =2 pre-initiation exacerbations, and=2 doses of benralizumab were included. <h3>Results</h3> 506 patients met the inclusion criteria. The patients were 69% female, had a mean (SD) age of 52 (14) years, and were seen primarily by allergists/immunologists (39%) and pulmonologists (34%). Of the 506 patients, 223 (44%) were persistent users (=6 doses) post-initiation; the mean (SD) number of doses was 5 (2.2). After initiating benralizumab, patients had a 62.5% reduction in the annual exacerbation rate (3.2 vs. 1.2, p<.001). Patients with pre-initiation blood eosinophil (bEOS) counts of <300 cells/µL showed similar reductions (53.1% [3.2 vs. 1.5], p <.001) as did patients with bEOS of=300 cells/µL (71.9% [3.2 vs. 0.9], p <.001). A similar decline in annual exacerbation rate was observed for bEOS <150 cells/µL (53.1% [3.2 vs. 1.5], p <.001 and bEOS=150 cells/µL (68.8% [3.2 vs. 1.0], p < .001). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Patients had significantly fewer asthma exacerbations overall and across blood eosinophil count thresholds after initiating benralizumab. These findings demonstrate that benralizumab is an effective add-on treatment option for patients with severe eosinophilic asthma.