Researchers at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have discovered that two key measures that track symptom severity among asthmatic patients considerably improved with the use of Nucala, according to the results of a clinical trial.
The results of the MUSCA study were announced March 6 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Atlanta.
The 24-week trial assessed improvements among 551 patients who received injections of 100 mg of Nucala at four-week intervals, according to a press release. Doctors used two metrics – quality of life and lung capacity – to assess results.
Patients receiving the drug scored 7.7 points higher versus those treated with a placebo on the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, a test that estimates quality of life. Lung capacity and function, up 120 mL among the Nucala subjects, was measured by how much air can be exhaled.
Dr. Frank Albers, GSK's medical affairs lead for Nucala, said in the press release that the drug may offer hope for severe asthma cases.
“For them, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and the risk of an asthma attack is an ever present occurrence and one that can have a severe impact their life on a daily basis,” Albers said.
