Treating eosinophilic exacerbations of asthma and COPD with benralizumab (ABRA): a double-blind, double-dummy, active placebo-controlled randomised trial.

Background: Exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are important events and are associated with critical illness. Eosinophilic inflammation is a treatable trait commonly found during acute exacerbations of asthma and COPD. We hypothesised that for patients with eosinophilic exacerbations, a single injection of benralizumab, a humanised monoclonal antibody against interleukin-5 receptor-α, alone or in combination with prednisolone, will improve clinical outcomes compared with prednisolone, the standard of care.