The efficacy of EXDENSUR for the add‑on maintenance treatment of severe asthma characterized by an eosinophilic phenotype was evaluated in 2 replicate, randomized (2:1 to EXDENSUR or placebo), double‑blind, parallel‑group, placebo‑controlled, multicenter clinical trials (SWIFT‑1 [NCT04719832] and SWIFT‑2 [NCT04718103]) of 52 weeks duration. The trials enrolled adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with asthma characterized by an eosinophilic phenotype, defined as a blood eosinophil count ≥150 cells/mcL at screening or ≥300 cells/mcL documented in the year prior to study entry. Patients were required to have 2 or more asthma exacerbations requiring treatment with systemic corticosteroids (SCS) in the prior year while on background asthma therapy consisting of a medium‑ to high‑dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) plus at least one additional asthma controller with or without maintenance oral corticosteroids (OCS). Patients were also required to have reduced lung function at baseline (pre‑bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV
The demographics and baseline characteristics of the efficacy population in SWIFT‑1 and SWIFT‑2 are provided in
Exacerbations
The primary efficacy endpoint for SWIFT‑1 and SWIFT‑2 was the annualized rate of clinically significant exacerbations over the 52‑week treatment period. A clinically significant exacerbation was defined as worsening of asthma requiring use of SCS such as intravenous or oral steroids for at least 3 days or a single intramuscular corticosteroid dose and/or hospitalization and/or Emergency Department visit. For patients on maintenance SCS, at least double the existing maintenance dose for at least 3 days was required. All patients experiencing an exacerbation were treated with SCS.
In SWIFT‑1 and SWIFT‑2, the annualized rate of asthma exacerbations was significantly lower in patients receiving EXDENSUR compared to placebo (
The percentage of patients with exacerbations requiring hospitalization and/or Emergency Department visit was numerically lower for patients treated with EXDENSUR (1% and 4%) compared with placebo (8% and 10%) in SWIFT‑1 and SWIFT‑2, respectively.
In SWIFT‑1 and SWIFT‑2, the time to first clinically significant exacerbation was longer for EXDENSUR compared to placebo (Figures
Figure 2. Kaplan-Meier Curve for Time to First Clinically Significant Exacerbation (SWIFT‑1)

Figure 3. Kaplan-Meier Curve for Time to First Clinically Significant Exacerbation (SWIFT‑2)

Lung Function
In SWIFT‑1 and SWIFT‑2, the mean change from baseline in pre‑bronchodilator FEV
Patient-Reported Outcome
In SWIFT‑1 and SWIFT‑2, the proportion of ACQ‑5 responders (clinically meaningful improvement defined as a decrease in score of 0.5 or more) at Week 52 was 54% for EXDENSUR in both studies compared to 55% and 53%, respectively, for placebo.