Tezepelumab in severe asthma: a profile of its use

Tezepelumab (tezepelumab-ekko; TEZSPIRE®), a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting thymic stromal lymphopoietin, represents a novel, effective and generally well tolerated treatment option for patients with severe asthma across a wide range of phenotypes. In randomized, double-blind, phase 2 (PATHWAY) and phase 3 (NAVIGATOR) trials, subcutaneous tezepelumab demonstrated a significant reduction in annualized asthma exacerbation rate among patients with severe uncontrolled asthma. The efficacy was seen across a broad range of patients with different asthma endotypes and phenotypes, including eosinophilic and noneosinophilic asthma, allergic asthma, and type-2 low asthma. The efficacy was sustained over up to 104 weeks. Tezepelumab is generally well tolerated, with the most common adverse reactions being pharyngitis, arthralgia and back pain. Asthma is a complex condition caused by a chain of inflammatory events in the airway. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is one of the proteins that sits at the top of the chain and initiates a range of downstream actions. Tezepelumab (tezepelumab-ekko; TEZSPIRE®) is a monoclonal antibody that blocks the action of TSLP, thus exerting broad-spectrum anti-asthmatic activity. Administered subcutaneously once every 4 weeks, tezepelumab significantly reduces the asthma exacerbation rate in a wide range of patients with severe uncontrolled asthma, including type-2 high asthma, as well as type-2 low asthma, which is typically unresponsive to biologics. The efficacy of tezepelumab is sustained over up to 2 years. Tezepelumab is generally well tolerated. Tezepelumab is a novel and effective treatment option for patients with severe asthma across a wide range of subgroups, regardless of their phenotypes or biomarkers levels.