What the trial was testing
The PREPARE enrolled 1,220 patients with asthma. The study was sponsored by Brigham and Women's Hospital and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was long-term safety (phase 4). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
The simple strategy reduced severe asthma attacks by 15% compared to usual care.
The New England journal of medicine · 2022 · NCT02995733
These findings — that adding a steroid inhaler to rescue inhaler use cut severe asthma attacks — were published in the The New England journal of medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 1,220 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with asthma, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
If you're Black or Latinx with moderate-to-severe asthma, this study suggests a practical approach: using a steroid inhaler every time you reach for your rescue inhaler can reduce severe attacks and help you breathe easier day-to-day. This strategy is already possible with FDA-approved inhalers — talk to your doctor about whether this approach makes sense for you.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open asthma trials
Clinical and demOgRaphic Features of Patients With Uncontrolled Severe Asthma in Russia (CORSAR)
This study is an observational multicenter cross-sectional study. Planned study population consists of 5 000 adult patients with uncontrolled SA receiving treatment according to standard of care (except biologics). Planned number of study site is 50 outpatient centers with experience of uncontrolled SA treatment in about 50 regions of Russia (in order to describe characteristics of patients with uncontrolled SA in different regions in the most comprehensive way). This non-interventional study does not imply any intervention into a routine clinical practice, and does not provide for any diagnostic and therapeutic procedures other than those used in routine practice.
A Non-interventional, Prospective Study With Benralizumab
This is a prospective, non-interventional, single-arm, multicenter study to investigate asthma control, and health-related quality of life (HRQL), lung function and asthma medication intake in severe eosinophilic asthma patients treated with benralizumab in a real-life setting in Germany.