NEW real-world data suggest that long-term clinical remission is an achievable goal for a significant proportion of patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) treated with benralizumab, highlighting the potential of biologics to transform disease management in this challenging population.
The XALOC-1 study, a multinational, retrospective, real-world analysis, followed 1,070 adults with SEA receiving benralizumab for up to 96 weeks. Clinical remission was defined by the absence of exacerbations, no use of maintenance oral corticosteroids (OCS), and well-controlled asthma symptoms (Asthma Control Test score ≥20 or ACQ-6 score ≤0.75). Data were assessed at baseline, 48 weeks, and 96 weeks. Researchers also evaluated demographic and clinical factors associated with sustained remission using multivariable logistic regression.
At baseline, only 0.4% of patients met the remission criteria. This increased markedly to 39% at Week 48 and remained substantial at 31% by Week 96. Biologic-naive patients experienced higher remission rates (43% at Week 48 and 36% at Week 96) compared with biologic-experienced individuals (32% and 23%, respectively). Key predictors of remission at Week 96 included lower baseline OCS dose (odds ratio [OR]: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.34–0.76), lower BMI (OR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.36–0.86), and higher peak eosinophil counts (OR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.05–2.69).
These findings support the viability of sustained clinical remission as a treatment goal in SEA and reinforce the value of early biologic initiation, especially in patients with lower disease burden. For clinicians managing severe asthma, this evidence shows the real-world effectiveness of benralizumab and offers new optimism for long-term disease control.
Reference
Pelaia G et al. XALOC-1: Clinical remission over 2 years with benralizumab in severe eosinophilic asthma. Chest. 2025;168(1):19-32.
