Exacerbations, treatment patterns, utilization, and costs before and after initiating of benralizumab for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the number of exacerbations, counts of eosinophils, and asthma-related symptoms 1 year before and after initiating benralizumab for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma.Methods: Patients with prior exacerbations and newly initiating benralizumab were identified in the claims-based Healthcare Integrated Research Database. Claims were used to assess benralizumab treatment patterns, exacerbations, healthcare resource utilization, and other asthma medication used. Among a subset of patients, medical records were abstracted for Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores and asthma symptoms.Results: There were 506 patients meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria for claims-based analyses and 123 for medical-record analyses. The number of patients experiencing exacerbations significantly decreased from baseline to follow-up (40% reduction, McNemar's chi(2) = 204.00, p < .001). The mean number of exacerbations also decreased from 3.2 (1.5) to 1.2 (1.4) (paired t = 24.45, p < .001; Cohen's D = 1.09). The effects were larger among patients with eosinophils >= 300 cells/mu L. Among patients with an ACT available for baseline and follow-up (n = 47), there was a significant reduction in the number of patients with scores <19 (72% vs. 45%, p < .01).Conclusions: Treatment with benralizumab resulted in fewer exacerbations, reduced utilization, and improved ACT scores. This study demonstrates that benralizumab is an effective treatment option for patients with severe eosinophilic asthma.

Automated summary

This study examines the effects of benralizumab on the number of exacerbations, counts of eosinophils, and asthma-related symptoms in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma. The results show that treatment with benralizumab significantly reduces exacerbations, improves asthma control, and is particularly effective for patients with high eosinophil counts.