UK Edition
First new asthma pill in 20 years hailed as ‘wonder drug’ by sufferers
The first new asthma pill for nearly 20 years has the power to significantly reduce the severity of the condition.
The new drug, which has been described as ‘a game changer for future treatment of asthma’, was found to lower asthma biomarkers five-fold.
Around 5.4 million people suffer from asthma in Britain and three people die every day because of attacks although it is estimated that two thirds of deaths are preventable.
The new drug, called Fevipiprant, works by stopping inflammatory cells getting into the airways while also repairing damage to prevent attacks. It is likely to halve the number of severe attacks, and potentially save hundreds of lives each year.
Asthma charities said the new medication showed ‘massive promise,’ while sufferers trialing the drug said it had changed their lives.
“A unique feature of this study was how it included measurements of symptoms, lung function using breathing tests, sampling of the airway wall, and CT scans of the chest to give a complete picture of how the new drug works,” said Professor Christopher Brightling, Clinical Professor in Respiratory Medicine at the University of Leicester.
“Most treatments might improve some of these features of disease, but with Fevipiprant improvements were seen with all of the types of tests.
“This new treatment, Fevipiprant, could likewise help to stop preventable asthma attacks, reduce hospital admissions and improve day-to- day symptoms- making it a ‘game changer’ for future treatment.”
A total of 61 people took part in the research. One group was given 225mg of the drug twice a day for 12 weeks and the other participants were assigned to a placebo group. Fevipiprant and the placebo were added to the medications the participants were already taking.
The study was designed primarily to examine the effects on inflammation in the airway by measuring the sputum eosinophil count.
The sputum eosinophil is an inflammation measurement of a white blood cell that increases in asthma and is used to assess the severity of this condition.
People who do not have asthma have a percentage of less than one and those with moderate-to- severe asthma typically have a reading of about five per cent.
The rate in people with moderate-to- severe asthma taking the medication was reduced from an average of 5.4 percent to 1.1 percent over 12 weeks, according to the study published in the The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal.
Gaye Stokes, 54, from Grantham in Lincolnshire who has had severe asthma for 16 years took part in the trial and was part of the Fevipiprant group.
“I knew straight away that I had been given the drug. I felt like a completely different person. I had more get up and go, I was less wheezy and for the first time in years I felt really, really well.
“For me, it felt like a complete wonder drug and I can’t wait for it to be available because I really think it could make a huge difference to me.”
After the 12 week trial when Mrs Stokes stopped receiving the drug, she said her health started to “go downhill again very quickly”.
Asthma is a long-term condition that affects the airways. When a person with asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their sensitive airways it causes the body to react in several ways which can include wheezing, coughing and can make breathing more difficult.
The drug, which is produced by the pharmaceutical company Novaratis, is now in phase three trials.
Dr Samantha Walker, Director of Research and Policy at Asthma UK, said: “This research shows massive promise and should be greeted with cautious optimism.
“More research is needed and we’re a long way off seeing a pill for asthma being made available over the pharmacy counter, but it’s an exciting development and one which, in the long term, could offer a real alternative to current treatments.”
Prof Stephen Durham, Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Imperial College London, and Honorary Consultant physician, Royal Brompton Hospital, added: “The mainstay of treatment for severe asthma in those who fail to respond adequately to maximal inhaler therapy and other currently available anti-asthma drugs is the use of corticosteroid tablets. Steroid tablets are associated with many side effects that include weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes and osteoporosis.
“Professor Chris Brightling’s group in Leicester provide compelling evidence that a novel tablet treatment, Fevipiprant taken twice daily and on top of usual medication, has the ability to reduce asthmatic inflammation, increase lung function and improve asthma control in this severe group.
“The data strongly support further studies to see whether Fevipiprant may also reduce the frequency of asthma attacks, avoid steroid side effects and reduce NHS costs in the management of these severely ill patients.”