Tezepelumab for treating severe asthma
Last edited 04/2023 and last reviewed 05/2023
Tezepelumab for treating severe asthmaTezepelumab is a human monoclonal antibody that blocks thymic stromal lymphopoietin, an epithelial-cell-derived cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma
NICE state:
- Tezepelumab as an add-on maintenance treatment is recommended as an option for severe asthma in people 12 years and over, when treatment with high-dose inhaled corticosteroids plus another maintenance treatment has not worked well enough. It is recommended only if people:
- have had 3 or more exacerbations in the previous year, or
- are having maintenance oral corticosteroids
- stop tezepelumab if the rate of severe asthma exacerbations, or the maintenance oral corticosteroid dose, have not been reduced by at least 50% at 12 months
Notes:
- thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial-cell-procured cytokine mediating the immune response to inhaled environmental insults such as allergens and organic and non-organic pollutants, leading to a cascade of downstream inflammatory processes included in the pathophysiology of asthma (2)
- tezepelumab is a first-in-class human IgG2 monoclonal antibody that binds to TSLP, preventing its interaction with the TSLP receptor complex
Reference:
- NICE (April 2023). Tezepelumab for treating severe asthma
- Zoumot Z, Al Busaidi N, Tashkandi W, Aljohaney AA, Isse S, Vidyasagar K, Ukwaja KN. Tezepelumab for Patients with Severe Uncontrolled Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Asthma Allergy. 2022 Nov 18;15:1665-1679.