Princess Ogbogu, MD, from the University of Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital

Princess Ogbogu, MD

HCPLive Five at ACAAI 2025

American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting

 in Orlando, leading clinicians from UT Health Houston, the University of Alberta, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and community allergy practices presented pivotal updates in asthma, immunology, dermatology, and anaphylaxis care. This HCPLive Five highlights emerging data across eosinophilic disorders, chronic rhinosinusitis, hereditary angioedema (HAE), anaphylaxis management, and atopic dermatitis, each offering clinicians new insights into rapidly evolving therapeutic landscapes.

Benralizumab Reduces HES Flare in Phase 3 Trial, With Princess Ogbogu, MD

Benralizumab significantly reduced flare events and fatigue in patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES), according to phase 3 NATRON results presented at ACAAI 2025. In an interview with HCPLive, Princess Ogbogu, MD, of the University of Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, highlighted the therapy’s impact on time to first flare, annualized flare rates, and hematologic relapse, noting patients on benralizumab did significantly better than those on placebo. Improvements in PROMIS Fatigue scores emerged by week 4. Safety findings aligned with prior benralizumab data, with mostly mild adverse events.

Dupilumab Shows Promise for Allergic Fungal Rhinosinusitis in Phase 3 Trial, With Amber Luong, MD, PhD

Dupilumab demonstrated strong efficacy for allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) in the phase 3 LIBERTY AIMS trial, offering a potential new option for this challenging CRSwNP subtype. Amber Luong, MD, PhD, from UT Health Houston, presented data at ACAAI 2025 showing significant improvements in sinus opacification, nasal polyp size, and congestion by weeks 24 and 52, with dupilumab reducing the need for oral steroids or surgery by 92%. The year-long study enrolled 62 rigorously diagnosed patients and met all primary and secondary endpoints. Safety findings aligned with dupilumab’s known profile.

Sebetralstat Shows Promise for On-Demand HAE Treatment in Children, With Adil Adatia, MD

Adil Adatia, MD, from the University of Alberta, presented interim KONFIDENT-KID findings showing that oral sebetralstat safely and rapidly reduced symptoms of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks in children aged 2 - 11 years. The oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor, already approved for patients ≥12, was administered within 30 minutes of symptom onset, with a median time to first improvement of four hours. No treatment-emergent adverse events were reported, and pharmacokinetic data aligned with adult studies. Adatia emphasized the promise of a fast-dissolving oral option for young children, noting its potential to replace challenging IV therapies and transform timely, at-home pediatric HAE management.

Sublingual Epinephrine Film Rapidly Works in Children, With David Golden, MD

David Golden, MD, from Johns Hopkins, presented phase 1 data showing that AQST-109 (Anaphylm), a sublingual epinephrine film, rapidly reaches therapeutic levels in children, triggering cardiovascular effects within 2 minutes. In 32 participants aged 7 – 17 years, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics closely mirrored adult findings, with therapeutic plasma levels achieved by 5 - 8 minutes and peak concentrations at 10 minutes. Heart rate and blood pressure rose early, confirming fast onset. Golden emphasized that the needle-free film performed comparably to adult data and may offer an effective alternative to intranasal and injectable epinephrine options for children at risk of severe allergic reactions.

Tapinarof Shows Early, Sustained Benefits in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis, With Druhan Howell, MD

Druhan Howell, MD, a pediatrics-trained allergist practicing in Mobile, Alabama, highlighted sub-analysis data from the ADORING 1 and 2 trials showing that 1% tapinarof cream delivers early, sustained benefits in children aged 2–17 with atopic dermatitis (AD). Across 654 pediatric patients, including those with asthma, allergic rhinitis, or food allergies, tapinarof improved skin clearance, eczema severity, itch, sleep, and overall symptom burden as early as week 1, with effects maintained through week 8. EASI-75 and vIGA-AD™ response rates were significantly higher than vehicle, regardless of comorbidities. Safety was consistent with prior findings, with no new signals.

Videos

This HCPLive Five features advancements in asthma, immunology, and allergy that were presented at the ACAAI 2025 meeting in Orlando.

, Princess Ogbogu, MD, from the University of Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, discussed phase 3 NATRON data showing that benralizumab significantly reduces flare events and fatigue in patients with

025 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting

, highlight benralizumab’s potential as a safe and effective long-term treatment for this rare eosinophil-driven disorder.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled patients aged ≥ 12 years across 40 sites in 15 countries. Participants had active, steroid-responsive HES, with at least 2 flares in the previous 2 months and an absolute eosinophil count (AEC) ≥1000 cells/μL. Those with the myeloid subtype of HES were excluded, as they typically respond to tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Benralizumab, an IL-5 receptor–targeting monoclonal antibody, met its primary endpoint, demonstrating a significantly longer time to first HES flare compared with placebo.

“This is really important because flares are a problem with HDS,” Ogbogu said. “It's a very heterogeneous disease. Patients have a lot of clinical symptoms, and the patients in the benralizumab group really did significantly better than the placebo group, with having reduced risk of flares and reduced flare events.”

The study also achieved its key secondary endpoints, showing a lower annualized flare rate

and reduced hematologic relapse, defined as an AEC ≥1000, in patients receiving benralizumab. Improvements in fatigue, measured using the PROMIS Fatigue Score, were observed as early as week 4 and continued through week 24.

Ogbogu noted that safety outcomes were consistent with previous benralizumab trials, with adverse events comparable between treatment and placebo groups. The most common were headache, upper respiratory tract infection, and COVID-19.

“This really adds to the therapies that we know that this is really an important therapy because it's targeting the IL-5 receptor, and we know that this is a very important mechanism for eosinophils and eosinophil-driven disease,” Ogbogu said. “It’s really exciting that there this option may be available for patients.”

Ongoing subgroup analyses and an open-label extension will further evaluate benralizumab’s long-term efficacy and quality-of-life impact in patients with HES.

Relevant disclosures for Ogbogu include Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, AstraZeneca AB, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, BioCryst US Sales Co., LLC, GENZYME CORPORATION, Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. and Grifols USA, LLC,

Ogbogu P. Benralizumab For Patients With Hypereosinophilic Syndrome: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Phase 3 Trial (NATRON). Late Breaker pesented at ACAAI 2025 on Saturday, November 8, 2025.

In a phase 3 NATRON trial presented at ACAAI 2025, Ogbogu discussed how benralizumab reduced flare in patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome.

Princess Ogbogu, MD

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