A new asthma treatment requiring just two injections a year to help prevent life-threatening attacks has been approved in Britain, a move experts say could dramatically change how millions of patients manage the chronic condition.
Pharmaceutical giant GSK has been granted marketing authorization by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for depemokimab, a next-generation biologic therapy that will be sold under the brand name Exdensur. The drug is being described as the first “ultra-long-acting” biologic for respiratory disease, designed to control inflammation in the lungs with only twice-yearly dosing.
Current biologic treatments for severe asthma often require injections every few weeks or months. By contrast, Exdensur uses antibodies that remain active in the body for far longer, reducing airway inflammation and helping prevent severe flare-ups that can lead to emergency hospital visits.
GSK said the approval marks a major milestone in respiratory medicine. Kaivan Khavandi, senior vice president and global head of Respiratory, Immunology and Inflammation R&D at the company, called the decision “the first in the world” and said it could redefine asthma care.
“This ultra-long-acting biologic delivers sustained efficacy to reduce asthma exacerbations, keep patients out of hospital and help prevent cumulative lung damage in just two doses a year,” Khavandi said. He added that regulatory decisions are also expected in the United States, Japan, the European Union and China.
The MHRA’s decision was based on results from a clinical trial involving 762 patients. The study found that depemokimab reduced clinically significant asthma attacks by 54 percent and cut hospital admissions by 72 percent, outcomes that could have a major impact on overstretched health systems.
Asthma is a chronic condition that inflames and narrows the airways, making breathing difficult and sometimes dangerous. The treatment has also been developed for patients with severe chronic rhinosinusitis, a long-lasting inflammation of the nose and sinuses that can lead to painful symptoms and nasal polyps, or soft tissue growths.
Exdensur is administered via an injection under the skin once every six months. GSK expects the drug to be available for private purchase in the UK in the first half of 2026. Britain’s health watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), will then decide whether the treatment should be prescribed through the National Health Service.
MHRA officials said the approval gives patients another option when existing therapies fail. Julian Beach, interim executive director of Healthcare Quality and Access at the agency, said respiratory conditions can be difficult to control despite current treatments.
“This approval represents another potential treatment option for patients whose symptoms have not been adequately controlled,” Beach said, adding that the drug’s safety and effectiveness will continue to be closely monitored.
The timing of the approval comes as respiratory illnesses rise across the UK. Asthma and Lung UK reported that emergency hospital admissions for conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease increased by 23 percent over the past two years. Between April 2024 and March 2025 alone, England recorded more than 2.26 million emergency admissions for respiratory conditions, highlighting the growing burden on hospitals.
For many patients, a twice-yearly injection could offer a simpler, more reliable way to control asthma — and potentially keep them out of hospital.
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