Monthly Tezepelumab Injection Enables Severe Asthma Patients to Discontinue Daily Steroids
Key Insights
The Wayfinder trial demonstrated that monthly tezepelumab injections allowed over half of severe asthma (search) patients to completely stop daily steroid tablets after 12 months of treatment.
Nearly 90% of participants reduced their steroid use to low doses, while two-thirds experienced no asthma attacks during the year-long study period.
The AstraZeneca drug, already approved by NICE in 2023, works by blocking proteins that drive airway inflammation and also improves allergy-related symptoms.
A monthly injection of tezepelumab has demonstrated the ability to help severe asthma (search) patients reduce or completely eliminate their dependence on daily steroid tablets, according to results from the international Wayfinder clinical trial published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
The study, led by King's College London, involved just under 300 adults with severe, uncontrolled asthma who were taking 5mg-40mg of steroid tablets daily. Patients were recruited from 11 countries including the UK, US, France, Germany, Mexico and Spain.
Significant Steroid Reduction Achieved
After one year of treatment with monthly tezepelumab injections, more than half of participants had stopped taking their steroid medication altogether without experiencing asthma flare-ups. Nearly 90% of patients were able to reduce their steroid use to a low dose, with a third achieving complete steroid cessation after just six months.
"The Wayfinder study is an important step forward for patients with the most severe form of asthma who require daily oral steroids in order to achieve reasonable disease control," said Professor David Jackson, respiratory medicine expert at King's College London and clinical lead of the asthma services across Guy's and Royal Brompton Hospitals.
Mechanism and Additional Benefits
Tezepelumab, also known as Tezspire and manufactured by AstraZeneca, works by binding to and blocking a protein associated with airway inflammation. The drug was approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (search) in 2023 as an additional maintenance treatment for patients over 12 whose usual medication does not adequately control their asthma.
Beyond asthma control, the treatment showed broader therapeutic benefits. "As tezepelumab also suppresses allergy-related symptoms and improves chronic rhinosinusitis (search) as well, the results are particularly exciting for patients with severe asthma (search) who suffer with both upper and lower airway symptoms," Jackson noted.
Clinical Outcomes and Safety Profile
The trial findings revealed significant improvements across multiple measures. Two-thirds of patients did not experience any asthma attacks during the study period, with this benefit observed as early as two weeks into treatment and sustained throughout the year-long study. The treatment also significantly improved asthma symptoms, lung function and overall quality of life.
This represents a crucial advancement for the estimated 10% of asthmatics who have severe disease. Long-term use of oral corticosteroids (search) is associated with serious health conditions, including osteoporosis (search), diabetes (search) and increased vulnerability to infections, making steroid-sparing treatments a critical medical need.
Clinical Impact and Future Implications
Dr. Samantha Walker, director of research and innovation at Asthma + Lung UK, characterized the findings as "an incredibly encouraging development for the future of asthma care that could transform the lives of people with severe asthma (search)."
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, emphasized the practical benefits: "The prospect of a monthly injection, rather than daily tablets, may also be a more manageable treatment option for some patients."
The results were presented at the British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting 2025, highlighting the potential for this biologic therapy to provide effective asthma control without the significant side effects associated with long-term steroid use.