Fact checked byShenaz Bagha

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October 13, 2023
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Tezepelumab reduces asthma exacerbations regardless of BMI

Fact checked byShenaz Bagha
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Key takeaways:

  • Recipients assigned placebo with higher BMI had higher annualized asthma exacerbation rates.
  • Mean increases in BMI included 0.2 kg/m2 for the tezepelumab group and 0.43 kg/m2 for the placebo group.

HONOLULU — Tezepelumab improved outcomes among patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma regardless of BMI, according to an abstract presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting.

Geoffrey L. Chupp, MD, director of the Yale Center for Asthma and Airways Disease at Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a post-hoc analysis of data from the phase 3 NAVIGATOR study and the DESTINATION extension study, which included patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma, to assess annualized asthma exacerbation rate (AAER) over 104 weeks according to baseline BMI.

Reductions in AAER with tezepelumab over 104 weeks ranged from 57% to 59% based on BMI.
Data were derived from Chupp GL, et al. Long-term efficacy of Tezepelumab in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma by baseline body mass index. Presented at: CHEST Annual Meeting; Oct. 8-11, 2023; Honolulu.

The patients who received 210 mg of tezepelumab (Tezspire; Amgen, AstraZeneca) every 4 weeks for 52 weeks in NAVIGATOR continued treatment for another 52 weeks. The patients who previously received placebo in NAVIGATOR were randomized 1:1 to receive tezepelumab or placebo for 52 weeks.

Among the 531 patients assigned placebo, AAER over 104 weeks included 1.78 (95% CI, 1.44-2.21) for those with a BMI of less than 25 kg/m2, 1.87 (95% CI, 1.48-2.37) for those with a BMI between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2, and 2.16 (95% CI, 1.74-2.69) for those with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 and higher.

Among the 528 patients assigned tezepelumab, compared with the placebo group, AAER fell by 58% (95% CI, 42%-70%) for patients with a BMI of less than 25 kg/m2, 59% (95% CI, 43%-70%) for those with a BMI between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2, and 57% (95% CI, 42%-68%) for those with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 and higher over 104 weeks.

The 389 patients who only received tezepelumab in both NAVIGATOR and DESTINATION had a mean 0.2 kg/m2 (standard deviation [SD], 2.03) increase in BMI and a mean 0.75 kg (SD, 5.81) increase in weight from baseline to week 104.

Similarly, the 197 patients who only received placebo in both NAVIGATOR and DESTINATION had a mean 0.43 kg/m2 (SD, 2.57) increase in BMI and a mean 1.27 kg (SD, 7.1) increase in weight from baseline to week 104.

Based on these findings, Chupp and colleagues concluded that treatment with tezepelumab reduced asthma exacerbations over 2 years regardless of the patient’s baseline BMI.