A recent study has provided promising news for individuals suffering from severe asthma.
The study, known as the SHAMAL study and published in The Lancet, has revealed that biologic therapies, specifically benralizumab, can effectively control severe asthma without the need for high-dose inhaled steroids, which often come with significant side effects.
Severe asthma is a debilitating condition that affects millions of people worldwide, causing daily symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest tightness, coughing, and frequent asthma attacks that often require hospitalization.
One common approach to managing severe asthma has been the use of high-dose inhaled steroids, but these medications can lead to serious side effects like osteoporosis, diabetes, and cataracts.
The SHAMAL study, led by Professor David Jackson, who heads the Severe Asthma Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and holds the position of Professor of Respiratory Medicine at King’s College London, has delivered groundbreaking results.
The study demonstrated that benralizumab, a biologic therapy, can enable severe asthma patients to safely reduce their inhaled steroid dosage, with more than 60% of participants even able to stop using inhaled steroids altogether.
This breakthrough offers hope for minimizing or completely eliminating the harmful side effects associated with inhaled steroids.
Benralizumab works by targeting inflammatory cells called eosinophils, which are often produced in excessive amounts in the airways of individuals with severe asthma and play a crucial role in asthma attacks.
Patients receive benralizumab through injections every four to eight weeks, and this treatment is available at specialized NHS asthma centers.
The SHAMAL study involved 208 patients from four countries: the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany, across 22 different research sites.
These patients were randomly assigned to taper their high-dose inhaled steroid doses over 32 weeks, followed by a 16-week maintenance period.
Remarkably, nearly 90% of participants experienced no worsening of their asthma symptoms and remained free from exacerbations throughout the entire 48-week study.
The significance of this study lies in the potential to transform the lives of severe asthma patients by offering them a safer and more effective alternative to high-dose inhaled steroids.
Professor Jackson stated, “Biological therapies such as benralizumab have revolutionized severe asthma care in many ways, and the results of this study show for the first time that steroid-related harm can be avoided for the majority of patients using this therapy.”
However, it’s important to note that further research will be needed to fully understand the safety and effectiveness of reducing or eliminating high-dose steroid use with other biologic therapies.
While the SHAMAL study is undoubtedly a groundbreaking step forward, it represents just the beginning of potentially life-changing developments in severe asthma treatment.
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The research findings can be found in The Lancet.
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