Tezepelumab for treating severe asthma

Last edited 04/2023 and last reviewed 05/2023

Tezepelumab for treating severe asthma

Tezepelumab 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

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