What the trial was testing
The DESTINATION enrolled 951 patients with asthma. The study was sponsored by AstraZeneca and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. 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
People taking tezepelumab had 58% fewer asthma attacks over 2 years compared to placebo.
The Lancet. Respiratory medicine · 2023 · NCT03706079
These findings — that people on tezepelumab had dramatically fewer severe asthma episodes over 2 years — were published in the The Lancet. Respiratory medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 951 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
Tezepelumab is FDA-approved for severe asthma. If you have severe asthma that isn't controlled with your current medications, talk to your doctor about whether this treatment might help you. It's given as an injection every 4 weeks.
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
Investigation of Fixed Triple Inhaled Combination in Asthmatic Patients, in a Real-life Setting
The mainstay of asthma treatment are ICSs, mostly combined with LABA. In the past decade LAMA had been accepted as an add-on treatment for patients on GINA treatment Steps 4 and 5. Recently, RCTs proved the efficacy and safety of fixed triple combinations of moderate and high dose of ICS and LABA, LAMA in a very selected asthmatic population, resulting in the market authorisation of these products. However, there is a lack of evidence on the real-world effectiveness of these therapies, especially with regards to improvement in symptom scores and quality of life. Also, there is scarcity of data regarding the phenotypes of asthmatics who benefit the most from the use of fixed triple combinations.
Expressions of Ezrin and Pip5k1α Proteins in Airway Smooth Muscle of Asthmatic Patients
Asthma, a prevalent chronic respiratory affliction, significantly impinges upon the quality of life for affected individuals. Timely and appropriate diagnostic measures, coupled with efficacious therapeutic interventions, are paramount in mitigating exacerbations of symptoms and enhancing the life quality of patients. Ezrin plays an important role in maintaining cell morphology, cell migration, cell adhesion and polarisation, but Ezrin expression in airway smooth muscle remains unclear. Pip5k1α is an important kinase involved in intracellular phosphatidylinositol signalling pathways that may be involved in smooth muscle contraction and diastole. Therefore, further studies are necessary to elucidate the changes of Ezrin and Pip5k1α in patients with asthma to provide a basis for investigating alternative treatments for asthma.