Twice-yearly depemokimab demonstrates efficacy in patients with asthma across baseline medium- and high-dose ICS subgroups: Phase III SWIFT-1/2 studies

Background: Depemokimab is the first ultra-long-acting biologic with enhanced IL-5 binding affinity, high potency, and extended half-life, enabling twice-yearly dosing in patients with asthma. Previously approved biologics are recommended as add-on treatment to high-dose ICS. In SWIFT-1/2, depemokimab significantly reduced exacerbations, with sustained suppression of inflammation as assessed by blood eosinophil count in patients with type 2 asthma. Aims: Assess depemokimab efficacy in SWIFT-1/2 patients by medium- and high-dose ICS subgroup. Methods: Patients randomised 2:1 (stratified by medium-/high-dose ICS) with any ACQ-5 score were studied for 52 weeks and received depemokimab 100 mg subcutaneous or placebo at Week 0 and 26, plus standard of care. Pre-specified analyses examined exacerbation rate and change from baseline in St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score by baseline ICS dose. Results: Depemokimab reduced exacerbations vs placebo by 61% and 49% in patients on medium- and high-dose ICS, respectively (Figure). There was a greater SGRQ improvement for depemokimab vs placebo in patients on medium- vs high-dose ICS (Figure). Conclusions: Depemokimab reduces exacerbations in patients with asthma across baseline ICS dose subgroups, supporting potential initiation prior to ICS escalation. Funding: GSK (206713/213744; NCT04719832 /NCT04718103). erj;66/suppl_69/PA2469/F1 F1 F1