Key Summary
- First six-monthly injection approved for asthma and nasal polyps
- Works by reducing inflammation linked to these conditions
- Offers new hope for patients not helped by current treatments
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved biological medicine depemokimab (Exdensur) to treat asthma in adults and adolescents (12+) and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in adults.
While asthma is caused by the inflammation and narrowing of lung airways that make breathing tough, rhinosinusitis is the inflammation of the nose and paranasal sinuses that lasts more than 12 weeks leading to soft tissue growth called nasal polyps.
Julian Beach, MHRA interim executive director, Healthcare Quality and Access, commented “These conditions affect a significant number of people across the UK, and in some cases can be difficult to manage despite existing treatments.”
This is the first ever six-monthly add-on medication for these health conditions, administered via injection under the skin.
Depemokimab won the approval via the MHRA’s national assessment procedure.
It is proven that depemokimab blocks the interleukin-5 protein and reduces type 2 inflammation seen during asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis.
“This approval represents another potential treatment option for patients living with some forms of these conditions whose symptoms have not been adequately controlled with current therapies,” Beach added.
However, MHRA will keep a close eye on the medication to ensure its safety and effectivemenss.
Some common side effects of the drug are itchy skin, headache, fatigue, and injection site reactions.
