Depemokimab Cuts Asthma Exacerbation Risk 46%: Michael Wechsler, MD

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Depemokimab, an ultra-long-acting biologic with enhanced IL-5 binding affinity for treating patients with type 2 (T2) asthma, significantly reduced the probability of first exacerbation over 52 weeks compared with placebo, according to data recently published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.¹

The findings suggest twice yearly dosing may offer early and sustained efficacy while reducing treatment burden for patients.¹ Having a biologic therapy that is administered only twice a year as opposed to 13 or 26 times a year is a significant advantage for patients, Michael Wechsler, MD, a pulmonologist at National Jewish Health and lead study author, said in an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care®.

“It means the patients don't need to think about their disease, think about taking medications on a regular basis, and it also has an advantage in terms of adherence,” he explained. “If you take a drug less frequently, only twice a year, then it's really beneficial to the patient.”

Patients with uncontrolled T2 asthma experience unpredictable exacerbations that may significantly impair their health-related quality of life.¹ Depemokimab efficacy was assessed in the phase 3 SWIFT-1 (NCT04719832) and SWIFT-2 (NCT04718103) trials, and this pooled analysis included 762 patients randomly assigned 2:1 to receive depemokimab 100 mg subcutaneously or placebo at weeks 0 and 26, in addition to standard of care.¹

Over 52 weeks, 32% of patients receiving depemokimab had an exacerbation vs 49% of patients receiving placebo (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.43-0.69). The difference emerged as early as 4 weeks after the first dose, with no evidence of waning across either 26-week dosing period. Reductions in annualized exacerbation rates were greatest in patients with asthma duration of less than 10 years (72%), past or current chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (70%), and medium-dose inhaled corticosteroid use at baseline (64%).¹

Depemokimab may also benefit payers. Exacerbations are probably the most costly piece of asthma management and can result in emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and long-term oral corticosteroid use, Wechsler explained. Long-term oral corticosteroid use is also associated with adverse events like cataracts, osteoporosis, glaucoma, and hypertension, he continued.

“When I think about a drug like depemokimab, it has advantages in terms of efficacy, it has advantages in terms of dosing frequency, and it has advantages in terms of keeping people out of the hospital,” Wechsler said. “It's the type of drug that patients who have busy lives will prefer to take. They don't need to worry about when to get their next dose, where they'll be, or if they're traveling or if they're working. They can just rely on their twice-yearly doctor's visit to get their drug administered.”

References

1. Wechsler ME, Pavord ID, Panettieri RA, et al. Early and sustained efficacy of depemokimab in type 2 asthma: a pooled analysis of the SWIFT-1/-2 studies. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2026;14(6):1351-1362. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2026.03.008