In a real‑world observational study conducted in Switzerland, more than half of patients with severe eosinophilic asthma achieved clinical remission after one year of treatment with benralizumab. The paper, “Clinical Remission in Patients With Severe Eosinophilic Asthma — A Single-Arm Observational Study With Benralizumab,” was published in the Journal of Asthma and Allergy.
The single‑arm, prospective BEEPS study evaluated remission rates and individual remission components in 73 adults with severe eosinophilic asthma treated with benralizumab over 56 weeks. Researchers defined clinical remission using a stringent four‑component composite endpoint: well‑controlled asthma symptoms, no exacerbations, no maintenance oral corticosteroid use and stable or improved lung function.
At baseline, the study’s authors reported that none of the patients met all remission criteria. By week 56, they reported that 58.1% of patients achieved full clinical remission using an Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ‑5) threshold of less than 1.5 and 51.6% met remission criteria using a stricter ACQ‑5 threshold of 0.75 or lower
The findings reflected improvements consistent across all individual remission components. Asthma symptom control improved steadily over time, with the proportion of patients classified as not having well‑controlled asthma dropping sharply. Exacerbations declined markedly, with more than three‑quarters of patients remaining exacerbation‑free at both 16 and 56 weeks. Use of maintenance oral corticosteroids also decreased throughout the study, while lung function remained stable or improved in most patients.
Importantly, remission rates were consistent across preplanned subgroups, including patients stratified by baseline blood eosinophil count, prior exacerbation frequency and previous exposure to biologic therapies, the study’s authors said. Further, they noted that patients with high baseline disease burden — including frequent exacerbators and those with long disease duration — experienced substantial reductions in symptoms and exacerbation rates.
Benralizumab is an anti‑interleukin‑5 receptor monoclonal antibody. It works by rapidly depleting eosinophils, a key driver of type 2 airway inflammation in severe eosinophilic asthma. The study found that improvements often began early, within the first weeks of treatment, and were sustained through one year.
The findings also aligned with growing international recognition of remission as a realistic treatment goal in severe asthma, they authors wrote. They noted that clinical remission was formally introduced into the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) report in 2024 and has since been incorporated into national guidelines in several countries.
Although inhaled and oral corticosteroids have long been the foundation of asthma management, their nonspecific anti‑inflammatory effects and potential for long‑term side effects have driven interest in targeted biologic therapies. The study’s authors suggested that remission‑oriented, treat‑to‑target strategies may represent a paradigm shift away from traditional symptom‑driven escalation of therapy.
