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Twice-Yearly Depemokimab Reduces Rescue Use in Recurrent CRSwNP, With Josesph Han, MD
At AAAAI 2026, Han reports pooled ANCHOR data showing depemokimab improved nasal symptoms, QoL, and cut rescue interventions.
At the 2026 annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) in Philadelphia from February 28 – March 2, Joseph Han, MD, from Old Dominion University, highlighted new data from a post hoc pooled analysis of ANCHOR-1 and ANCHOR-2 evaluating twice-yearly depemokimab in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) marked by type 2 (T2) inflammation and disease recurrence following surgery.
Depemokimab, an ultra–long-acting anti–IL-5 biologic, is designed for administration every 26 weeks, offering sustained suppression of eosinophilic inflammation. The analysis focused on a clinically relevant subgroup: adults with ≥ prior nasal polyp surgery and ≥ 1 T2 inflammatory feature, including blood eosinophils ≥150 cells/μL, comorbid asthma, or NSAID- or aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease. In real-world practice, this is the population most likely to be considered for biologic therapy.
A total of 154 patients were included in the pooled analysis (79 receiving depemokimab and 75 receiving a placebo). Across multiple endpoints, depemokimab demonstrated higher responder rates compared with placebo at 52 weeks.
“If we had to summarize what...the presentation showed was that if you use depemokimab in patients who would normally get [a] biologic in a real-world setting, that it does much better than what we saw from the results of ANCHOR-1 and ANCHOR-2,” Han told HCPLive during the meeting.
For nasal obstruction, assessed using the verbal response scale, 46% of patients receiving depemokimab achieved ≥a 1-point reduction, compared with 21% with placebo (odds ratio [OR] 2.82; 95% CI 1.37–5.78; P =.006). Improvements in loss of smell (≥ 0.9-point decrease) were observed in 29% versus 15% (OR, 2.35; P =.054).
Clinically meaningful improvements in health-related quality of life, measured by SNOT-22 (≥ 8.9-point decrease), occurred in 65% of treated patients versus 43% on placebo (OR, 2.25; P =0.019). Nasal polyp score response (≥ 1-point decrease) was achieved in 41% versus 25% (OR 2.04; P =.053).
Rescue intervention use, defined as the need for systemic corticosteroids or additional surgery, was significantly lower with depemokimab: 19% compared with 37% in the placebo arm (OR, 0.34; 95% CI 0.16–0.75; P =.008). According to Han, this reduction in rescue interventions reflects better control of underlying inflammation and fewer acute exacerbations requiring escalation of care.
During the interview, Han discussed the clinical implications of a twice-yearly treatment for CRSwNP. He cited market survey data evaluating patient preferences for medication delivery, including whether patients would favor a subcutaneous injection every 6 months over a daily oral pill.
“What this tells us is that… patients would prefer [depemokimab every 6 months) rather than taking a pill every day,” Han said.
Relevant disclosures include GlaxoSmithKline, LLC., Medtronic, Inc., Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc., GENZYME CORPORATION, Optinose US, Inc., Medtronic, Inc., AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, and AERIN MEDICAL INC..
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