AstraZeneca experienced some setbacks last year on its quest to expand its asthma drug Fasenra to treat other conditions like rhinosinusitis and eosinophilic esophagitis. 

However, the British pharma giant is now rolling out a campaign to double down on the drug’s use in asthma sufferers.

With the debut of a website and video, AstraZeneca is aiming to educate HCPs on how Fasenra works in eosinophilic asthma — a type of asthma that’s caused by high numbers of eosinophils, a form of white blood cell. In the condition, eosinophils build up in the airways of the lungs, which can lead to inflammation.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 25 million Americans have asthma.

The campaign’s video details how Fasenra works, encourages awareness of eosinophilic asthma and educates patients on the drug.

The speaker in the campaign video ad says, “Get back to better breathing and get back to your life. Ask your doctor about FASENRA.”

The Move Forward with Fasenra campaign will run through digital channels and at in-person medical congresses, with the support of some 500 HCPs.

Fasenra received Food and Drug Administration approval back in 2017, but only for eosinophilic asthma. Since then, the pharma has pushed to get the drug’s label expanded to other conditions, including rhinosinusitis and eosinophilic esophagitis.

That push was due in part to AstraZeneca hoping to compete with GSK’s rival treatment, Nucala, a humanized monoclonal antibody that’s approved to treat severe eosinophilic asthma, eosinophilic granulomatosis and hypereosinophilic syndrome.

In March 2022, the FDA rejected AstraZeneca’s bid to have Fasenra approved for rhinosinitis. In October of that same year, a Phase III trial for the drug in treating eosinophilic esophagitis didn’t meet criteria to move forward.

Still, AstraZeneca is on a push to get Fasenra top-of-mind for physicians for at least its asthma purpose. Last year, the pharma launched another campaign for the drug, Asthma Behaving Badly, which featured a purple eosinophil cartoon character named “Phil.”

“When people living with severe uncontrolled asthma describe their disease, they often say, ‘My asthma is acting up,’” Matt Gray, executive director of marketing for Fasenra, said at the time. “It is this sentiment we aim to capture with asthma behaving badly and visually depict how asthma symptoms can disrupt a patient’s life.”

AstraZeneca, which recently released its Q1 2023 earnings report, saw its revenue grow to $10.8 billion, a 15% increase — if its COVID-19 sales are excluded.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.