The first new treatment for asthma attacks in decades could prove "game-changing" for patients, researchers say.
Four people with asthma and 85 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive condition with symptoms similar to asthma, die every day and someone has an asthma attack every 10 seconds in the UK. About one in 10 children in the UAE are believed to have asthma.
Eosinophilic exacerbations – caused by high concentrations of a type of white blood cells called eosinophils – account for about 30 per cent of flare-ups in COPD and almost half of asthma attacks. They can become more frequent as the disease progresses, leading to irreversible lung damage in some cases.
Treatment for eosinophilic exacerbations has barely changed in 50 years. They are usually treated by steroids, which can reduce inflammation in the lungs, but have severe side effects such as diabetes and osteoporosis and do not always work.
The new drug, benralizumab, a monoclonal antibody, targets eosinophils to reduce lung inflammation and is more effective than steroids, reducing the need for further treatment by 30 per cent. A single dose is more effective when injected at the point of exacerbation compared to a short course of steroid tablets, the study found.
Lead investigator of the trial Prof Mona Bafadhel from King’s College London told The National the treatment was game-changing and could be available to asthmatics within five years.
"This is the first new treatment for asthma and COPD attacks in 50 years," she said. "The treatment really did improve people's symptoms within 28 days and also reduced the number of times they had treatment failures by a factor of four-fold. So it was quite a big reduction. We estimate in the UK it would be suitable for two million attacks every year, just in one country."
Researchers randomised people at high risk of an asthma or COPD attack into three groups: one receiving benralizumab injection and dummy tablets; one receiving prednisolone steroids for five days and dummy injection; and the third group receiving both benralizumab injection and prednisolone steroids for five days.
Neither investigators nor the people involved in the study, which was conducted at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, knew what treatment they received.
After 28 days, respiratory symptoms of cough, wheeze, breathlessness and sputum were found to be better with benralizumab. And after 90 days, there were four times fewer people in the benralizumab group that "failed treatment" compared to standard care with prednisolone.
Patients had to have high eosinophils for the injection to be given, said Prof Bafadhel. To determine that, researchers tested their blood at the time of the attack. "You can get a full blood count reading within 20 minutes and in other places you can actually do a pinprick blood test. The future is not that far away from being able to do that," she said.
Patients who received the benralizumab injection had fewer episodes that required a doctor appointment or hospital visit. There was also an improvement in quality of life for people with asthma and COPD.
The under-the-skin injection, which does not need to go directly into a vein, was administered by healthcare professionals in the study but can be potentially given safely at home, in a GP practice or in an emergency department.
Dr Sanjay Ramakrishnan, clinical senior lecturer at the University of Western Australia, who is the first author of the trial and started the work while at the University of Oxford, said the drug shows "massive promise" for asthma and COPD treatment. "COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide but treatment for the condition is stuck in the 20th century. We need to provide these patients with life-saving options before their time runs out," he said.
Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and innovation at Asthma + Lung UK, said the findings were promising for patients. "But it’s appalling that this is the first new treatment for those suffering from asthma and COPD attacks in 50 years, indicating how desperately underfunded lung health research is," she said.
The paper was published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Company%20profile%20
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Mobile phone packages comparison
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The%20specs
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Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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