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tezepelumab

This grade answers one narrow question: how strong is the public evidence and safety record behind this drug, and how clean is its money trail and court record? It is not a verdict on whether the drug is right for you.

B

Score breakdown (80/100)

Safety ×35%
A
Evidence ×25%
F
Regulatory ×15%
A
Money & lawsuits ×15%
A
Options ×10%
F

Safety: 100

Evidence: 47

Regulatory history: 95

Money & lawsuits: 100

Options: 40

What the FDA label says

Approved uses

is a thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) blocker, human monoclonal antibody (IgG2λ), indicated: • for the add-on maintenance treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with severe asthma. ( 1.1 ) Limitations of Use: Not for relief of acute bronchospasm or status asthmaticus. ( 1.1 ) • for the add-on maintenance treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). ( 1.2 ) 1.1 Asthma TEZSPIRE is indicated for the add-on maintenance treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with severe asthma. Limitations of Use: TEZSPIRE is not indicated for the relief of acute bronchospasm or status asthmaticus. 1.2 Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps TEZSPIRE is indicated for the add-on maintenance treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).

Contraindications

is contraindicated in patients who have known hypersensitivity to tezepelumab-ekko or any of its excipients [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] . Known hypersensitivity to tezepelumab-ekko or excipients. ( 4 )

Warnings and precautions

• Hypersensitivity Reactions: Hypersensitivity reactions have been observed in the clinical trials (e.g., rash, allergic conjunctivitis) following the administration of TEZSPIRE. Postmarketing cases of anaphylaxis have been reported. Initiate appropriate treatment as clinically indicated in the event of a hypersensitivity reaction. ( 5.1 ) • Risk Associated with Abrupt Reduction in Corticosteroid Dosage: Do not discontinue systemic or inhaled corticosteroids abruptly upon initiation of therapy with TEZSPIRE. Decrease corticosteroids gradually, if appropriate. ( 5.3 ) • Parasitic (Helminth) Infection: Treat patients with pre-existing helminth infections before therapy with TEZSPIRE. If patients become infected while receiving TEZSPIRE and do not respond to anti-helminth treatment, discontinue TEZSPIRE until the parasitic infection resolves. ( 5.4 ) • Vaccination: Avoid use of live attenuated vaccines. ( 5.5 ) 5.1 Hypersensitivity Reactions Hypersensitivity reactions were observed in the clinical trials (e.g., rash and allergic conjunctivitis) following the administration of TEZSPIRE. Postmarketing cases of anaphylaxis have also been reported [see Contraindications (4) and Adverse Re...

Adverse reactions (label)

The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: • Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 3%) are: • Asthma: pharyngitis, arthralgia, and back pain. ( 6.1 ) • Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, epistaxis, pharyngitis, back pain, influenza, injection site reaction and arthralgia. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact AstraZeneca at 1-800-236-9933 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adverse Reactions in Adult and Pediatric Patients 12 Years of Age and Older with Asthma The safety of TEZSPIRE in asthma was based on the pooled safety population from PATHWAY and NAVIGATOR, which consists of 665 adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with severe asthma who received at least one do...

Recent major label changes

Indications and Usage ( 1.2 ) 10/2025

Source: FDA SPL label for TEZSPIRE (Amgen Inc), effective 20251017. Full label on DailyMed.

Side-effect reports sent to the FDA

These are counts of reports people filed, not rates of harm. Anyone can file one, and nobody checks whether the drug was the cause. Millions of doses are taken for every report sent, so the useful part is how this drug compares with the average across all drugs.

2,211reports that mention this drug
2,210of those blame this drug, not another one the person was taking
92%of reports describe a serious outcome, such as a hospital stay (average for all drugs: 57%)
10.6%of reports include a death, from any cause (average for all drugs: 9.1%)

Problems reported most often

Asthma · 337Pneumonia · 332Dyspnoea · 289Death · 196Cough · 163Wheezing · 130Lower Respiratory Tract Infection · 125Drug Ineffective · 120Fall · 85Fatigue · 71Illness · 71Product Dose Omission Issue · 69Arthralgia · 68Headache · 65Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease · 61

Reports per year

20192020202120222023202420252026
1372357364948807

Source: the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports are voluntary and unverified. Drugs that are prescribed a lot, in the news, or in lawsuits attract more reports, so the percentages are compared with the whole database to correct for that partly, not fully.

Recalls and regulatory record

0recall actions on file
0 / 0brand / generic applications
0label changes since 2021
NoREMS program

Evidence base

37randomized trials (PubMed)
9systematic reviews
73registered trials
70%of completed trials posted results
3%terminated or withdrawn
77%industry-funded

Counts measure how much evidence exists and how transparent it is, not how big the benefit is. For that, ask your prescriber: if 100 people like me took this, how many would get better because of it, and how many would be harmed? (Doctors call these the "number needed to treat" and "number needed to harm.") It differs by condition and is the number drug ads leave out. Sources: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Money and lawsuits

In 2024, drug companies reported $0 in payments to US physicians and hospitals tied to this drug across 0 transactions.

No pending federal MDL names this drug or its brands.

Not named in any federal pharmaceutical settlement of $100M or more on record.

Sources: CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act); Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation pending docket list; DOJ settlements as tabulated on Wikipedia with links to the primary record. State-court and individual suits are not included.

Who takes it and what it costs

Not in the Medicare Part D spending file (typically hospital-administered or very new drugs).

Same-class alternatives

No same-class alternatives found in RxClass.

Questions to ask your prescriber

  1. The most-reported problems in FDA's adverse event data are asthma, pneumonia, dyspnoea, death. How would we recognize and handle those?
  2. There is no generic. Is there an older generic in the same class that works as well for my situation?
  3. What result are we expecting, by when, and what is the plan if it does not happen?
  4. If 100 people like me took this drug, how many would actually get better because of it, and how many would be harmed by it? (Doctors call these the number needed to treat and the number needed to harm.)