Efficacy and Safety Study of Benralizumab to Reduce OCS Use in Patients With Uncontrolled Asthma on High Dose Inhaled Corticosteroid Plus LABA and Chronic OCS Therapy

Phase 3

Completed

Conditions: Asthma

Interventions: Biological: Benralizumab
Biological: Placebo

Registration Number: NCT02075255

Lead Sponsor: AstraZeneca

Brief Summary: The purpose of this trial is to confirm if benralizumab can reduce the use of maintenance OCS in systemic corticosteroid dependent patients with severe refractory asthma with elevated eosinophils.

Detailed Description: Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 220

Inclusion Criteria

Provision of informed consent prior to any study specific procedures.
Female and male aged from 18 to 75 years, inclusively.
History of physician-diagnosed asthma requiring treatment with medium dose ICS and LABA.
Elevated level of peripheral blood eosinophil
Documented treatment with high-dose ICS and LABA for at least 6 months prior to Visit 1
Chronic oral corticosteroid therapy for at least 6 continuous months directly preceding Visit 1. Subjects must be on doses equivalent to 7.5 - 40 mg/day of prednisolone/prednisone at Visit 1 and be on a stable dose for at least 2 weeks prior to randomization. Patients must agree to switch to study required prednisone/prednisolone as their oral corticosteroid for the duration of the study.
Patients with documented failures of OCS reduction within 6 months prior to Visit 1 will not be required to proceed through the dose optimization phase during run-in.
Morning pre-bronchodilator (Pre-BD) FEV1 of <80% predicted
Evidence of asthma as documented by either:

Airway reversibility (FEV1 ≥12% and 200 mL) demonstrated at Visit 1, Visit 2, or Visit 3 using the Maximum Post-bronchodilator Procedure OR Documented reversibility in the previous 24 months prior to Visit 1 OR Airway hyperresponsiveness (PC20 FEV1 methacholine concentration ≤8mg/mL) documented in the previous 12 months prior to planned date of randomization OR Airflow variability in clinic FEV1 ≥20% between 2 consecutive clinic visits documented in the 12 months prior to the planned date of randomization (FEV1 recorded during an exacerbation should not be considered for this criterion).

All patients must have reversibility testing performed before randomization to establish a baseline characteristic.

If patients do not demonstrate airway reversibility at either Visit 1 or Visit 2 and this is needed to qualify the patient for randomization, the site should reiterate the need to withhold short- and long-acting bronchodilators prior to Visit 3 in an effort to meet this inclusion criterion.
At least 1 documented asthma exacerbation in the previous 12 months prior to the date informed consent is obtained
Optimized OCS dose reached at least 2 weeks prior to randomization
Additional asthma controller medication must not have been initiated during run in/optimization period (not applicable for management of exacerbations during screening/ run in optimization phase)
At least 70% compliance with OCS use
At least 70% compliance with usual asthma controller ICS-LABA
Minimum 70% (i.e. 10 of 14 days) compliance with asthma daily diary (morning and evening diary)

Exclusion criteria:

Clinically important pulmonary disease other than asthma or ever been diagnosed with pulmonary or systemic disease, other than asthma, that are associated with elevated peripheral eosinophil counts.
Any disorder, including, but not limited to, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, neurological, musculoskeletal, infectious, endocrine, metabolic, hematological, psychiatric, or major physical impairment that is not stable in the opinion of the Investigator and could:
- Affect the safety of the patient throughout the study
- Influence the findings of the studies or their interpretations
- Impede the patient's ability to complete the entire duration of study
Acute upper or lower respiratory infections requiring antibiotics or antiviral medication within 30 days prior to the date informed consent is obtained or during the screening/run-in period
Any clinically significant abnormal findings in physical examination, vital signs, hematology, clinical chemistry, or urinalysis during run-in/optimization period, which in the opinion of the Investigator, may put the patient at risk because of his/her participation in the study, or may influence the results of the study, or the patient's ability to complete entire duration of the study
History of life-threatening asthma
Asthma control reached at an OCS dose of ≤5mg during run-in/OCS optimization phase
Qualifies for 3 consecutive dose reductions at Visits 2-4 and continues to meet OCS dose reduction criteria at Visit 5
Receipt of oral corticosteroids, other than prednisone or prednisolone, as the maintenance oral steroid controller for asthma symptoms from Visit 1 and throughout the study.
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level ≥2.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) confirmed during screening period

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Benralizumab Arm B	Benralizumab	Benralizumab administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks for the first 3 dose and then every 8 weeks; matching placebo subcutaneously at the 4 week interim to maintain the blind.
Benralizumab Arm A	Benralizumab	Benralizumab administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks
Placebo	Placebo	Placebo administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Percentage Reduction in Final OCS Dose Compared With Baseline While Maintaining Asthma Control	Week 28	Baseline OCS dose is the dose upon which the patient is stabilised at randomisation (Week 0). Final OCS dose is the dose at Week 28. The percentage reduction from baseline is defined as: {(Baseline dose-final dose)/baseline dose}\*100%. If a patient discontinues from the study during a given dose reduction period, or the patient experiences an exacerbation between Weeks 24 and 28 or immediately before discontinuation, then the final OCS dose will be 1 dose level higher than that which directly preceded the event.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Time to the First Asthma Exacerbation	The time from randomisation to the date of first asthma exacerbation over 28 weeks	Time to the first occurrence of asthma exacerbation post randomisation
Functional Residual Capacity	From baseline to Week 28	Change from baseline in functional residual capacity
The Percentage of Patients With ≥50% Reduction in Average Daily OCS Dose at Visit 14 Compared With Baseline Dose at Visit 6, While Maintaining Asthma Control	Week 28	Baseline OCS dose is the dose upon which the patient is stabilised at randomisation (Week 0). Final OCS dose is the dose at Week 28. The percentage reduction from baseline is defined as: {(Baseline dose-final dose)/baseline dose}\*100%. If a patient discontinues from the study during a given dose reduction period, or the patient experiences an exacerbation between Weeks 24 and 28 or immediately before discontinuation, then the final OCS dose will be 1 dose level higher than that which directly preceded the event.
Change From Baseline to Week 28 in Asthma Symptom Scores (Daytime)	Change from baseline at week 28	Asthma symptoms during daytime are recorded by the patient in the asthma daily diary. Symptom score values are from 0 (No asthma symptom) to 3 (unable to sleep because of asthma, or unable to do normal activities due to asthma). Lower score (0) is indicating better asthma symptom, while higher score (3) is indicating worse asthma symptom. Baseline is defined as the average of data collected from the evening of study day -14 to the morning of study day 1. Each time point is calculated as bi-weekly means based on daily diary data. If more than 50% of scores are missing in a 14 day period then this is considered as missing. Symptom score lower is better.
Change From Baseline to Week 28 in Home Lung Function (Evening Peak Expiratory Flow)	Change from baseline at week 28	Evening peak expiratory flow change from baseline to week 28. Baseline is defined as the average of data collected from the evening of study day -14 to the morning of study day 1. Each timepoint is calculated as bi-weekly means based on daily diary data
AQLQ(s)+12 Responders (Improvement) at Week 28	Week 28	AQLQ(S)+12 overall score is defined as the average of all 32 questions in the AQLQ(S)+12 questionnaire. Improvement is defined as AQLQ(S)+12 (End of treatment - baseline)\>=0.5. No change is defined as AQLQ(S)+12 (End of treatment - baseline) \>-0.5 and \<0.5. Deterioration is defined as AQLQ(S)+12 (End of treatment - baseline) \<= -0.5. Baseline is defined as the last AQLQ(S)+12 score prior to randomisation. End of treatment is defined as week 28. Patients with missing or non-evaluable score at week 28 are considered as non-responder.
Extent of Exposure	From first dose to Week 24	Duration of exposure from first dose date to last dose date.
Anti-drug Antibody Response	From baseline to follow-up Week 36	Number and percentage of patients in different ADA response categories
Number and Percentage of Patients in Different Categories of Percent Reduction From Baseline in Final OCS Dose While Maintaining Asthma Control	Week 28	Number and percentage of patients in different categories of percent reduction from baseline in final OCS dose.
Number of Days in Hospital Due to Asthma	The time from randomisation to the date of week 28 visit (end of treatment) or last contact if the patient is lost to follow up	Number of days in hospital due to asthma, if none, 0 day is considered
Change From Baseline to Week 28 in Asthma Symptom Scores (Total)	Change from baseline at week 28	Asthma symptoms during night time and daytime are recorded by the patient in the asthma daily diary. Symptom score values are from 0 (No asthma symptom) to 3 (unable to sleep because of asthma, or unable to do normal activities due to asthma), and total asthma symptom score is the sum of the daytime and night time score (0 to 6). Lower score (0) is indicating better asthma symptom, while higher score (6) is indicating worse asthma symptom. Baseline is defined as the average of data collected from the evening of study day -14 to the morning of study day 1. Each time point is calculated as bi-weekly means based on daily diary data. If more than 50% of scores are missing in a 14 day period then this is considered as missing. Symptom score lower is better.
Change From Baseline to Week 28 in Home Lung Function (Morning Peak Expiratory Flow)	Change from baseline at week 28	Morning peak expiratory flow change from baseline to week 28. Baseline is defined as the average of data collected from the evening of study day -14 to the morning of study day 1. Each timepoint is calculated as bi-weekly means based on daily diary data.
Percentage Reduction in Final OCS Dose Compared With Baseline While Maintaining Asthma Control for Patients With Baseline Eosinophils >=300/uL	Week 28	Baseline OCS dose is the dose upon which the patient is stabilised at randomisation (Week 0). Final OCS dose is the dose at Week 28. The percentage reduction from baseline is defined as: {(Baseline dose-final dose)/baseline dose}\*100%. If a patient discontinues from the study during a given dose reduction period, or the patient experiences an exacerbation between Weeks 24 and 28 or immediately before discontinuation, then the final OCS dose will be 1 dose level higher than that which directly preceded the event.
The Proportion of Eligible Patients With ≥100% Reduction in Average Daily OCS Dose at Visit 14 Compared With Baseline Dose at Visit 6, While Maintaining Asthma Control	Week 28	Baseline OCS dose is the dose upon which the patient is stabilised at randomisation (Week 0). Final OCS dose is the dose at Week 28. The percentage reduction from baseline is defined as: {(Baseline dose-final dose)/baseline dose}\*100%. If a patient discontinues from the study during a given dose reduction period, or the patient experiences an exacerbation between Weeks 24 and 28 or immediately before discontinuation, then the final OCS dose will be 1 dose level higher than that which directly preceded the event.
The Proportion of Patients With ≤5.0 mg Reduction on Daily OCS Dose at Visit 14 Compared With Baseline Dose at Visit 6, While Maintaining Asthma Control.	Week 28	Baseline OCS dose is the dose upon which the patient is stabilised at randomisation (Week 0). Final OCS dose is the dose at Week 28. If a patient discontinues from the study during a given dose reduction period, or the patient experiences an exacerbation between Weeks 24 and 28 or immediately before discontinuation, then the final OCS dose will be 1 dose level higher than that which directly preceded the event.
Number and Percentage of Patients With ≥1 Asthma Exacerbation	Immediately following the randomisation through Study Week 28	Number and percentage of patients with at least one post randomisation asthma exacerbation.
The Annualized Rate of Asthma Exacerbation	The time from randomisation to the date of week 28 visit (end of treatment) or last contact if the patient is lost to follow up	The annualized exacerbation rate is based on unadjudicated exacerbation reported by the investigator adjusted by the time of follow-up.
The Proportion of Patients With Average Final OCS Dose ≤5.0 mg Daily at Visit 14, While Maintaining Asthma Control	Week 28	Final OCS dose is the dose at Week 28. If a patient discontinues from the study during a given dose reduction period, or the patient experiences an exacerbation between Weeks 24 and 28 or immediately before discontinuation, then the final OCS dose will be 1 dose level higher than that which directly preceded the event.
Time to the First Asthma Exacerbation Requiring Hospitalization or ER Visit	The time from randomisation to the date of first asthma exacerbation associated with hospitalization or ER over 28 weeks.	Time to the first exacerbation requiring hospitalization or ER visit post randomisation
The Annualized Rate of Asthma Exacerbations That Are Associated With an Emergency Room Visit or a Hospitalization	The time from randomisation to the date of week 28 visit (end of treatment) or last contact if the patient is lost to follow up	The annualized exacerbation rate is based on unadjudicated exacerbation reported by the investigator that are associated with an emergency room visit or a hospitalization adjusted by the time of follow-up.
Change From Baseline to Week 28 in Pre-bronchodilator FEV1	Change from baseline at week 28	Baseline is defined as the last non-missing value prior to the first dose of study treatment. Change from baseline to Week 28 in two treatment groups is compared to placebo group.
Change From Baseline to Week 28 in Asthma Symptom Scores (Nighttime)	Change from baseline at week 28	Asthma symptoms during night time are recorded by the patient in the asthma daily diary. Symptom score values are from 0 (No asthma symptom) to 3 (unable to sleep because of asthma, or unable to do normal activities due to asthma). Lower score (0) is indicating better asthma symptom, while higher score (3) is indicating worse asthma symptom. Baseline is defined as the average of data collected from the evening of study day -14 to the morning of study day 1. Each time point is calculated as bi-weekly means based on daily diary data. If more than 50% of scores are missing in a 14 day period then this is considered as missing. Symptom score lower is better.
Change From Baseline to Week 28 in the Proportion of Nights With Awakening Due to Asthma Requiring Rescue Medication	Change from baseline at week 28	Baseline is defined as the proportion of nights from the evening of study day -14 to the morning of study day 1.Each timepoint is calculated as bi-weekly proportions based on daily diary data. If more than 50% of data are missing in a 14 day period then this will be considered as missing.Proportion of nights with noctural awakenings is defined as the number of nights with awakenings due to asthma and requiring rescue medication divided by number of nights with data.
Change From Baseline to Week 28 in ACQ-6	Change from baseline at week 28	ACQ-6 contains one bronchodilator question and 5 symptom questions. Questions are rated from 0 (totally controlled) to 6 (severely uncontrolled). Mean ACQ-6 score is the average of the responses. Mean scores of \<=0.75 indicates well-controlled asthma, scores between 0.75 to \<=1.5 indicate partly controlled asthma, and \>1.5 indicates not well controlled asthma.
ACQ-6 Responders (Improvement) at Week 28	Week 28	Improvement is defined as ACQ-6 (End of treatment - baseline) \<= -0.5. No change is defined as ACQ-6 (End of treatment - baseline) \>-0.5 and \<0.5. Deterioration is defined as ACQ-6 (End of treatment - baseline) \>= 0.5. ACQ-6 score is defined as the average of the first 6 items of the ACQ questionnaire on symptoms, activity limitations and rescue medication.Scores range from 0 (totally controlled) to 6 (severely uncontrolled). Baseline is defined as the last non-missing value prior to randomisation. End of treatment is defined as week 28. Patients with missing or non-evaluable ACQ-6 at week 28 are considered non-responder.
Change From Baseline to Week 28 in Rescue Medication Use	Change from baseline at week 28	Baseline is defined as the average of data collected from the evening of study day -14 to the morning of study day 1. Each timepoint is calculated as bi-weekly means based on daily diary data. If more than 50% of scores are missing in a 14 day period then this will be considered as missing. The number of inhalations (puffs) per day will be calculated as follows: Number of night inhaler puffs + 2 x \[number of night nebulizer times\] + number of day inhaler puffs + 2 x \[number of day nebulizer times\].
Serum Concentration of Benralizumab	Pre-first dose to Week 36	Pre-dose serum concentrations at each visit
Residual Volume	From baseline to Week 28	Change from baseline in residual volume
Vital Capacity	From baseline to Week 28	Change from baseline in vital capacity
Change From Baseline at Week 28 in AQLQ(S)+12 (Overall)	Change from baseline at week 28	AQLQ(S)+12 overall score is defined as the average of all 32 questions in the AQLQ(S)+12 questionnaire. AQLQ(S)+12 is a 7-point scale questionnaire, ranging from 7 (no impairment) to 1 (severe impairment). Total or domain score change of \>=0.5 are considered clinically meaningful.
Inspiratory Capacity	From baseline to Week 28	Change from baseline in inspiratory capacity
Percent Change From Baseline in Blood Eosinophil Counts	Change from baseline at Week 28	Percent change from baseline in blood eosinophil counts at week 28
Total Lung Capacity	From baseline to Week 28	Change from baseline in total lung capacity