Benralizumab
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A lab-made antibody that latches onto a docking site on eosinophils — a white blood cell involved in allergic inflammation — and flags them for destruction by the immune system, sharply cutting their numbers.
How it works
Eosinophils are white blood cells that, in excess, can fuel airway inflammation and asthma flare-ups. Benralizumab is an engineered antibody designed to find and attach to a specific marker on the surface of eosinophils and their relatives, basophils. Once attached, it acts like a flag that recruits the body's natural killer immune cells to destroy the marked cells. Because it actively eliminates the problem cells rather than just quieting them down, eosinophil levels typically drop close to zero within days.
What it’s used for
Used for people 6 and older with a severe form of asthma driven by high eosinophil counts, for adults with a rare inflammatory blood vessel condition, and for adolescents and adults with a rare disorder involving chronically elevated eosinophils. It's a maintenance therapy taken regularly to prevent flare-ups, it will not stop a sudden asthma attack already in progress.
- Mechanism
- IL-5 receptor alpha antagonist (cytolytic mAb)
- Drug class
- Monoclonal antibody
- Therapeutic area
- Respiratory / Immunology