London, Thanasis Gavos

The clinical trial of the first new product has yielded particularly positive results treatment for 50 years in the treatment of acute episodes asthma.

Researchers at the university King’s College of London found that the active substance benralizumab is much more effective than steroid pills given to treat very severe breathing difficulties in patients with severe asthma.

It is a monoclonal antibody that targets the white blood cells that can enter the lungs of patients suffering from what is called eosinophilic asthma, causing them to swell and block the airways.

This type of asthma accounts for half of all episodes requiring emergency medical care.

The researchers found that patients given an injection of benralizumab during a respiratory episode were less likely to suffer from breathing difficulties four weeks later.

They also recorded through clinical trials a remarkable improvement in the quality of life of asthma patients.

The research is published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

King’s College team leader Mona Buffantel said the findings could be a game-changer for patients with severe asthma, as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a disease that shares the same characteristics as eosinophilic asthma.