SUNRISE: Tezepelumab Shows Meaningful OCS Reduction in Severe Asthma, With Michael E. Wechsler, MD, MSc

Phase 3 findings from the SUNRISE study presented at the 2026 American Thoracic Society (ATS) meeting indicate that tezepelumab offers clinically meaningful oral corticosteroid (OCS) reduction in patients with severe, OCS-dependent asthma, with improvements in lung function and asthma control adding further weight to the drug's growing evidence base.1

In an interview on-site at ATS discussing the findings, Michael E. Wechsler, MD, MSc, of National Jewish Health, emphasized that the results build confidence as part of a converging body of evidence, including the earlier phase 3 SOURCE trial and real-world Wayfinder study, all pointing in the same direction.

SUNRISE (NCT05398263) was a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolling adults aged 18 to 80 with severe, OCS-dependent asthma. Following an OCS optimization period, 122 patients were randomized 2:1 to receive subcutaneous tezepelumab 210 mg or placebo every four weeks for 28 weeks. The primary endpoint was the categorized percent reduction in daily maintenance OCS dose at week 28 while maintaining asthma control.

The study met its primary endpoint. Patients receiving tezepelumab were nearly three times more likely to achieve a greater percentage reduction in OCS dose compared to those on placebo, with a cumulative odds ratio of 2.93 (95% CI: 1.43–6.03; P =.003). Baseline mean daily OCS doses of approximately 12 to 14 mg were reduced to around 5 mg in the placebo arm. This is a clinically meaningful shift, Wechsler noted, given the long-term adverse effects associated with chronic corticosteroid use. Notably, 36% of tezepelumab-treated patients were able to discontinue OCS entirely.

Beyond steroid reduction, tezepelumab-treated patients showed meaningful improvement in pre-bronchodilator FEV1 compared to placebo, alongside numerical improvements across all secondary endpoints including asthma control, health-related quality of life, and biomarker levels. No new safety signals were identified.

Wechsler noted that identifying the right candidates for tezepelumab requires integrating biomarker profiles, comorbidity burden, dosing preferences, and payer considerations. He highlighted the drug's broad upstream mechanism, blocking thymic stromal lymphopoietin to inhibit the IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 pathways, as a key factor supporting its consistent performance across both controlled trials and real-world settings.

References

1. Wechsler M, et al. (Poster Board # 521) Efficacy and Safety of Tezepelumab Versus Placebo in Reducing OCS Use in OCS-Dependent Patients With Severe Asthma: Results From the Phase 3 Sunrise Study. Poster presented at ATS 2026 in Orlando, Florida. https://ats2026.d365.events/education/abstracts/abstracts/2b275b67-c1f3-4043-8f9a-38e79ca86938.