Welcome to our August research update! Getting involved with research is an important way to impact asthma and allergy treatments, education, and awareness.

This month, we are highlighting clinical trials, surveys, and news on:

• Adults with asthma
• Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU)
• Teens and adults with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES)
• Impacts of health insurance coverage loss, occupation and industry, and home and school pollution on asthma
• Treatment development for chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU)

Note: The links below will take you to external websites.

Asthma and Allergy Clinical Trials

Do You or Your Child Have Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES)?

The NATRON study is now enrolling patients 12 and older.

Those who qualify may receive:

• Study-related care from local doctors at no cost
• Study medication at no cost
• Reimbursement for reasonable trial-related travel expenses
  
  

There is no obligation, so answer a few questions now to see if you or your child may qualify to participate.

ANSWER QUESTIONS NOW

View the Study Videos

Sponsored by AstraZeneca

Are You Currently Taking Oral Corticosteroids (OCS) for Your Asthma?

Would you like to contribute to important new research? SUNRISE is a clinical study investigating whether a new biologic treatment called tezepelumab may help to reduce or remove the need for OCS in adults with severe asthma. The study is looking for people who:

• Are between 18 and 80 years of age
• Have had an asthma diagnosis for at least 1 year
• Have been taking OCS for asthma for at least 6 months
• Have been using inhaled corticosteroids for at least a year, and a long-acting beta 2-agonist (LABA) for at least 3 months
• Have not been receiving any biologic treatment for asthma for at least 4 months
  
  

Sponsored by AstraZeneca

LEARN MORE

Does Your Child Have Uncontrolled Hives?

There is a new clinical trial testing a medicine called dupilumab to see if it can safely help children aged ≥ 2 years to <12 years with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). CSU is marked by the appearance of itchy hives.

Sponsored by Sanofi

LEARN MORE

Surveys

Share Your Experiences Living with CSU (Chronic Hives)

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is leading a study to learn more about the experiences of people living with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), also known as chronic hives. If you have CSU, or are a caregiver to someone with CSU, we invite you to participate in this research survey.

Your insights will help us guide educational content and programmatic resources around CSU. The survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Latest Asthma and Allergy News

Asthma

Study Explores the Impact of Health Insurance Coverage Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among People with Asthma
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many people to lose their jobs and health insurance coverage. For people living with chronic conditions like asthma, this can present a big challenge for the day-to-day management of symptoms. A recent study looked at how government policies like relief payments and health insurance expansion helped people effectively manage their asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The researchers conducted phone interviews with 21 adults with asthma who lost their jobs and health insurance during the pandemic. These interviews assessed health and economic policies affecting access to care and management of asthma. Participants said it became harder to get the care they needed and were worried that having asthma made them more likely to get seriously ill from COVID-19. Losing health insurance made things even worse, but relief efforts such as direct government payments helped some people afford their asthma treatments. But participants found it hard to understand, afford, and use expanded health insurance options like the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace and COBRA.

This study suggests that while expanding health insurance is important, there should be more focus on making it easier for people to access and understand health insurance options. Simple and flexible financial help, like direct payment, is especially useful for people managing chronic diseases like asthma.

Impact of Industry and Occupation on the Burden of Asthma in the United States
Workplaces are a common source of asthma triggers such as air pollution, chemicals, dust, mold, and animals. A recent study looked at asthma rates, flare-ups, and emergency room visits among workers in different jobs and industries during 2020 and 2021.

Researchers used data from the National Health Interview Survey, focusing on adults who had jobs in the year before the survey. They found that about 12.7 million working adults in the U.S. had asthma. Of these, 40% had an asthma flare-up, and 8.6% had to visit the emergency room because of their asthma during the year.

Workers in administrative, support, waste management, and social service jobs had the highest rates of asthma. Almost one-half of those in arts, entertainment, recreation and media occupations reported having an asthma flare-up. Workers in food service were most likely to have an asthma-related emergency room visit.

The study estimated that 9.2% of asthma cases were related to the industry people worked in, and 12.2% were related to their specific job. This means that more than 1 million asthma cases among workers could be linked to their jobs.

These findings highlight the need to identify asthma early in relation to work and to work to reduce exposure to triggers and irritants to help people in high-risk jobs. These should include training and education, using appropriate personal protective equipment, and creating health-focused workplace policies.

Home and School Pollutant Exposure, Respiratory Outcomes, and Influence of Historical Redlining
Redlining is a discriminatory practice that dates to the 1930s. This denies important resources or services to neighborhoods that have higher racial and ethnic minority populations. A recent study explored how historical redlining continues to affect children's health today, particularly related to pollution exposure and asthma.

Researchers looked at 240 children with moderate to severe asthma aged 6 to 17 from 9 U.S. cities. They wanted to see if children living or going to school in historically redlined neighborhoods were more exposed to air pollution like fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and how this exposure affected their asthma. Standard asthma index scores and lung functions were assessed.

More than 1/3 (37.5%) of the children lived or attended school in redlined neighborhoods. These children had higher exposure to NO₂ and lived closer to pollution sources (such as highways) compared to those in non-redlined neighborhoods.

While PM2.5 levels didn’t seem to affect overall asthma severity or lung function in these neighborhoods, higher PM2.5 levels were linked to worse asthma symptoms. This connection wasn’t found in non-redlined neighborhoods.

This study shows that historical redlining has lasting effects on environmental health, as children in these areas face greater risks from pollution that can worsen asthma. The results highlight the ongoing environmental injustice faced by people living in areas affected by past discriminatory policies.

Chronic Hives

Celldex Therapeutics Presents Positive Topline Results from Barzolvolimab Phase 2 Study in Chronic Inducible Urticaria
Celldex Therapeutics announced positive results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of barzolvolimab, a potential new treatment for 2 types of chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU): cold urticaria (ColdU) and symptomatic dermographism (SD). These conditions cause hives and itching when triggered by cold or skin rubbing.

Barzolvolimab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets and inhibits the KIT receptor, which is important for mast cell function. Mast cells are specific immune cells found throughout the body, especially the skin. Mast cell function is a key player in both CIndU and SD.

The study involved 196 patients split into 2 groups, ColdU and SD, and included patients who still had symptoms even after taking antihistamines. Participants were given different doses of barzolvolimab or a placebo (non-treatment). At 12 weeks, participants taking barzolvolimab showed major improvements. Many had fewer or no symptoms. The drug was also well-tolerated, with most side effects being mild, like hair color changes and a drop in certain white blood cells called neutrophils. No serious infections were linked to the treatment.

These results suggest that barzolvolimab could become a new, much-needed treatment option for people with these hard-to-manage skin conditions. Celldex plans to continue developing the drug and will present more data from on-going studies later this year.

Medical Review: July 2024 by John James, MD