In its published draft guidelines, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended AstraZeneca's (LON: AZN) Fasenra (benralizumab) as a treatment for people with severe eosinophilic asthma, Pharma Times reported on Monday.

The recommendation states that the drug can be an option for treating the condition when standard therapies, such as inhaled corticosteroids and beta-agonists, have failed.

According to NICE, Fasenra is cost-effective for people who have had at least three exacerbations in the last year, when the blood eosinophil count is 400 or more cells per microlitre, and only when biological treatment mepolizumab is not appropriate.

Fasenra is a monoclonal antibody that recruits the body's natural defences to deplete eosinophils. It was approved by the EU in January, making it the first respiratory biologic medicine with an eight-week maintenance dosing schedule.

NICE's approval was based on results from the WINDWARD programme, which include the pivotal Phase III exacerbation trials, SIROCCO and CALIMA, and the Phase III OCS-sparing trial, Zonda.