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UK Approves First Twice-Yearly Asthma Biologic as GSK Targets 2026 Launch

NICE will rule next year on NHS use, with price likely to determine how many patients qualify.

Overview

  • The MHRA has granted marketing authorisation for depemokimab, to be sold as Exdensur, for patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma.
  • The injection is administered under the skin once every six months, a longer interval than existing biologic treatments given every two to eight weeks.
  • In a 762-patient trial, the drug cut hospital admissions by about 72 percent and reduced clinically significant exacerbations by 54 percent.
  • GSK plans to make Exdensur available for private purchase in the UK in the first half of 2026, while NICE decides next year on NHS prescribing.
  • Experts say uptake will hinge on GSK’s pricing and current NICE criteria requiring at least three severe attacks a year, with only about 21,000 of an estimated 58,000 eligible adults receiving biologics today.