Oral corticosteroid reduction and discontinuation in adults with corticosteroid-dependent, severe, uncontrolled asthma treated with tezepelumab (WAYFINDER): a multicentre, single-arm, phase 3b trial

Abstract

Background: The SOURCE phase 3 oral corticosteroid (OCS)-sparing study of tezepelumab indicated an OCS-sparing effect with tezepelumab versus placebo in patients with OCS-dependent asthma and baseline blood eosinophil counts (BECs) of at least 150 cells per μL. The WAYFINDER study aimed to further evaluate the ability of tezepelumab to reduce or discontinue OCS use in a larger cohort of patients with OCS-dependent severe, uncontrolled asthma.

Methods: WAYFINDER was a phase 3b, multicentre, single-arm, open-label, OCS-sparing study. Adults (aged 18-80 years) with severe, uncontrolled asthma receiving a maintenance OCS dose of 5-40 mg per day (or equivalent) of prednisone or prednisolone were recruited from 68 clinical centres across 11 countries (Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Latvia, Mexico, Poland, Spain, UK, and USA). Participants received tezepelumab 210 mg subcutaneously once every 4 weeks for up to 52 weeks. The co-primary endpoints, assessed at weeks 28 and 52, were the proportion of participants who reduced their prescribed maintenance OCS dose to 5 mg per day or less without loss of asthma control and the proportion of participants who discontinued OCS without loss of asthma control. OCS dose reductions to below 5 mg per day were contingent on participants demonstrating preserved adrenal function. This completed study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05274815).

Findings: WAYFINDER was conducted between May 17, 2022, and Sept 9, 2024. Overall, 382 participants were enrolled and 298 participants (206 female [69·1%]) received tezepelumab and were included in the efficacy and safety analyses. The mean baseline maintenance OCS dose was 10·8 (SD 6·5) mg per day. The proportion of participants who had a maintenance OCS dose of 5 mg per day or less without loss of asthma control was 265 of 298 (88·9% [95% CI 84·8-92·3]) at week 28 and 268 of 298 (89·9% [85·9-93·1]) at week 52. The proportion of participants who discontinued OCS without loss of asthma control was 96 of 298 (32·2% [26·9-37·8]) at week 28 and 150 of 298 (50·3% [44·5-56·2]) at week 52. OCS reduction and discontinuation were achieved across pre-specified subgroups based on baseline BEC, fractional exhaled nitric oxide level, or allergy status. Serious adverse events were reported in 28 (9·4%) of 298 participants (asthma [13 participants] and pneumonia [three participants] were the most common), and four participants (1·3%) had adverse events leading to tezepelumab discontinuation. Two participants died during the study but neither death was considered to be causally related to tezepelumab treatment.

Interpretation: After 52 weeks of open-label tezepelumab treatment, nearly 90% of patients with OCS-dependent severe, uncontrolled asthma had a maintenance OCS dose of 5 mg per day or less and more than 50% completely discontinued OCS, while maintaining asthma control. These findings indicate that tezepelumab treatment can help enable patients with severe asthma to reduce their OCS use and its associated burden, with broad applicability across patient phenotypes.

Funding: AstraZeneca and Amgen.