AstraZeneca’s asthma treatment Fasenra will now be available to younger patients, heightening the competition in a crowded field of respiratory rivals.
The FDA has expanded Fasenra’s label to include the add-on maintenance treatment of children 6 to 11 years old with severe eosinophilic asthma. The drug was first approved in the 12-years-and-older setting in 2017.
Fasenra is one of a handful of biologics on the US market to treat severe asthma, including GSK’s Nucala, which beat AstraZeneca to the 6-and-older population with a label expansion in 2019.
Fasenra’s safety and tolerability data in the 6-to-11 population was “consistent with the known profile of the medicine,” AstraZeneca said on Thursday. The recommended dose is 30 mg for kids who weigh 35 kg or more, or 10 mg for those who weigh less than 35 kg.
AstraZeneca recently launched its “Stepping Back Out” TV, digital and social campaign for Fasenra, depicting patients stepping outdoors for activities such as hiking or basketball. The campaign also marks Fasenra’s first marketing push on TikTok.