Journal Article

P201 Twice-yearly depemokimab efficacy is sustained across seasons in patients with asthma: analyses of pooled phase III SWIFT-1/2 studies

Howarth, P, Jacques, L, Bourdin, A, Vichiendilokkul, A, C-Q, Zhu, Schleich, F, Jackson, D J

2025

Overview

Introduction and ObjectivesDepemokimab is the first ultra-long-acting biologic with enhanced interleukin-5 binding affinity, high potency and extended half-life, enabling twice-yearly dosing in patients with asthma. In the Phase III SWIFT-1/2 studies, depemokimab significantly reduced exacerbations with sustained inhibition of type 2 inflammation assessed by blood eosinophil count (BEC) observed in patients with type 2 asthma. Seasonal changes in common triggers for asthma exacerbations, including respiratory viruses, are well described; as such, this analysis of data from the SWIFT-1/2 studies aimed to explore whether depemokimab efficacy in reducing exacerbations versus placebo is sustained across all seasons.MethodIn SWIFT-1/2, patients with asthma who had ≥2 exacerbations in the past year and BEC ≥150 cells/µL (screening) or ≥300 cells/µL (past year) were randomised 2:1 to receive depemokimab 100 mg subcutaneously or placebo once every 26 weeks, plus standard of care. Analyses of pooled data from the SWIFT-1/2 studies were conducted to investigate annualised exacerbation rates (total number of exacerbations divided by total number of subject-years) by season (spring/summer/autumn/winter).ResultsOf 762 patients included in the SWIFT-1/2 studies, 260 received placebo and 502 received depemokimab. Depemokimab was associated with reduced exacerbation rates versus placebo across all four seasons; the greatest benefit observed in spring, autumn and winter, with a 58% reduction in exacerbations in spring (rate ratio: 0.42 [95% confidence interval CI: 0.29, 0.61]), a 40% reduction in summer (0.60 [0.40, 0.90]), a 55% reduction in autumn (0.45 [0.32, 0.63]) and a 56% reduction in winter (0.44 [0.32, 0.60]) (figure 1). The annualised exacerbation rates (95% CI) in the depemokimab arm remained broadly consistent across all four seasons (spring: 0.46 [0.35, 0.61]; summer: 0.47 [0.36, 0.62]; autumn: 0.56 [0.44, 0.71]; winter: 0.57 [0.45, 0.72]; however, in the placebo arm exacerbation rates were, as expected, numerically lower in summer (spring: 1.10 [0.84, 1.43]; summer: 0.78 [0.58, 1.07]; autumn: 1.23 [0.97, 1.56]; winter: 1.30 [1.03, 1.63]) (figure 1).Abstract P201 Figure 1Annualised exacerbation rate reductions in patients receiving depemokimab versus placebo were consistent across spring, autumn and winter, with a lower magnitude of reduction in summer due to reduced exacerbation rates in the placebo group[Image Omitted. See PDF.]ConclusionOverall, twice-yearly depemokimab demonstrated a sustained clinical benefit for patients with type 2 asthma across all four seasons, regardless of additional exacerbation triggers over the autumn and winter months.

• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subject: Asthma / Autumn / Summer / Winter