Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Tezspire?UsesSide EffectsDosageOverdosePrecautionsInteractionsSimilar DrugsFrequently Asked QuestionsHow to Stay Healthy

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Tezspire?

Uses

Side Effects

Dosage

Overdose

Precautions

Interactions

Similar Drugs

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Stay Healthy

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Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs that causes the airways to tighten and become inflamed, leading to difficulty breathing. Classic asthma symptoms include wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and cough. Regular use ofcontroller medicinescan help keep asthma under control consistently, andrescue inhalerstreat acute asthma attacks within minutes.

Tezspire is a prescription drug, which means you need an order for it from your healthcare provider. It is also considered a specialty drug and may require special approval from your insurance company. You will most likely receive it as a shipment from a specialty pharmacy.

Drug Facts

Drug Availability: Prescription

Therapeutic Classification:Monoclonal antibody, TSLP blocker

Available Generically:No

Controlled Substance: N/A

Administration Route: Subcutaneous

Active Ingredient: Tezepelumab-ekko

Dosage Form: Injection

What Is Tezspire Used For?

Tezspire is used as an add-on maintenance treatment forsevere asthmain adults and children who are at least 12 years old.

Maintenance treatment is taken regularly, even when you’re feeling good, to keep the condition under control. It is not used for asthma attacks or acute episodes when you have trouble breathing.Add-on treatment means that Tezspire will be used in addition to other medications prescribed for asthma. It will usually be added onto your therapy once other standard asthma treatments have been tried first butaren’t providing enough relief. This could mean that you’re still having to use your quick-relief inhaler multiple times a week or that symptoms are waking you up at night.

How to Take Tezspire

You will receive your Tezspire injection every four weeks, about once a month, from a healthcare provider.

The drug is givensubcutaneously, which means the medicine is injected right under your skin, as opposed to into a muscle or a vein. The needles are small, only about a quarter of an inch long. You’ll most likely receive injections in your thighs, stomach, or upper arm, as these areas commonly have the most fat.

Storage

The drug is stored in the refrigerator (36 F to 46 F) and then should be allowed to reach room temperature before it is injected. It can also be kept at room temperature for a maximum of 30 days.

How Long Does Tezspire Take to Work?You may start to see some improvement in your asthma symptoms as soon as two weeks after starting Tezspire, but your symptoms may continue to improve for several months. Let your healthcare provider know if your symptoms get worse or don’t improve for several weeks after starting Tezspire.

How Long Does Tezspire Take to Work?

You may start to see some improvement in your asthma symptoms as soon as two weeks after starting Tezspire, but your symptoms may continue to improve for several months. Let your healthcare provider know if your symptoms get worse or don’t improve for several weeks after starting Tezspire.

What Are the Side Effects of Tezspire?

This is not a complete list of side effects, and others may occur. A healthcare provider can advise you on side effects. If you experience other effects, contact your pharmacist or a healthcare provider. You may report side effects to the FDA atfda.gov/medwatchor 1-800-FDA-1088.

Common Side Effects

These are the most common side effects of Tezspire. If you experience these side effects and think they are severe or do not go away, you should notify your healthcare provider:

Severe Side Effects

Call your healthcare provider immediately if you have serious side effects. Call 911 if your symptoms feel life-threatening or if you think you’re having a medical emergency.

Report Side Effects

Tezspire may cause other side effects. Call your healthcare provider if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

(800) 332-1088

Dosage: How Much Tezspire Should I Take?

A trained healthcare provider will administer Tezspire to you as a subcutaneous injection. You will visit a healthcare provider’s office or infusion clinic to receive a dose every four weeks. Each vial and pre-filled syringe contains a single dose.

Modifications

Certain factors may affect your decision to take this medication.

Pregnancy

There is not enough data regarding the use of Tezspire in those who are pregnant to make a recommendation on the risk of birth defects, miscarriage, or adverse outcomes. The medicine may be transferred from the pregnant person to the fetus, especially during the third trimester of pregnancy. The third trimester is when the highest amount of monoclonal antibodies get transferred across the placenta.

Speak with your healthcare provider about whether to use Tezspire if you’re planning to become pregnant. The benefits of Tezspire may outweigh the potential risks since uncontrolled asthma in pregnant people can be harmful to a developing fetus.

Breastfeeding

Children

Adults 65 and Older

No differences in side effects were seen between younger and older adults (over age 65). However, not enough older adults were included in trials to know for sure if they may be affected differently.

Missed Dose

You will receive a Tezspire injection at a healthcare provider’s office or an infusion clinic every four weeks.

It’s best to schedule your doses ahead of time so that there is always room in the healthcare provider’s schedule to keep giving your doses four weeks apart. Getting your injection a couple of days early or late is not a big deal, but try to keep it as consistent as possible. If you end up having to miss an appointment, talk with your healthcare provider about how to get in as soon as possible so that you can resume your normal dosing.

Overdose: What Happens If I Take Too Much Tezspire?

Tezspire is an injection given at a healthcare provider’s office.

What Happens If I Overdose on Tezspire?If you think you or someone else may have overdosed on Tezspire, call a healthcare provider or the Poison Control Center (800-222-1222).If someone collapses or isn’t breathing after taking Tezspire, call 911 immediately.911

What Happens If I Overdose on Tezspire?

If you think you or someone else may have overdosed on Tezspire, call a healthcare provider or the Poison Control Center (800-222-1222).If someone collapses or isn’t breathing after taking Tezspire, call 911 immediately.

911

It is very important that your doctor check your or your child’s progress at regular visitsto make sure this medicine is working properly and to check for unwanted effects.

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including a rash or allergic conjunctivitis, which can occur within hours or days after receiving the injection. Tell your doctor right away if you have burning, dry, or itching eyes, discharge, excessive tearing, or redness, pain, swelling of the eye, eyelid, or inner lining of the eyelid after using this medicine.

If you are using a steroid medicine for your asthma, do not suddenly stop taking it without first checking with your doctor. You may need to slowly decrease your dose before stopping it completely.

Do not receive any live vaccines (immunizations) while you are being treated with tezepelumab-ekko. Check with your doctor before receiving any vaccines.

What Are Reasons I Shouldn’t Take Tezspire?

You shouldn’t use Tezspire if you have a known hypersensitivity or allergy to it or any of its ingredients.

Tezspire should also not be used to treat acute asthma symptoms or acute exacerbations. You should let your healthcare provider know if your asthma remains out of control or gets worse after you start using Tezspire.

Finally, make sure to let your healthcare provider know if you have aparasitic infectionsuch asmalaria,tapeworm infection,scabies, orlice. These infections should be treated before starting Tezspire, as Tezspire may interfere with how the infection medicine works. If you are using Tezspire and get a parasitic infection but aren’t responding to treatment, Tezspire may need to be stopped until the infection clears.

What Other Medications Interact With Tezspire?

You should avoidlive vaccinationswhile you’re taking Tezspire.Live vaccines include:

Non-live, orinactivated, vaccinationsare fine for individuals using Tezspire.

What Medications Are Similar?

There are many other medications known as monoclonal antibodies, like Tezspire. They all have slightly different mechanisms but work similarly in that they mimic or improve a certain part of the function of your immune system.A few examples are:

This is a list of drugs also prescribed for immune-mediated conditions such as asthma, arthritis, or certain skin conditions. It is NOT a list of drugs recommended to take with Tezspire. In fact, you should not take these drugs together. Discuss any questions or concerns with your pharmacist or a healthcare provider.

Frequently Asked QuestionsTezspire is an injectable medicine used to treat severe asthma in adults and children at least 12 years old. It is used in addition to other standard asthma treatments when symptoms are not controlled well enough.Tezspire is amonoclonal antibody, which means it interacts with your immune system to block certain proteins that can cause inflammation in the airways, leading to asthma symptoms.Avoid livevaccinationswhile taking Tezspire, such as the chickenpox vaccine, FluMist (nasal spray flu vaccine), and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccines.

Tezspire is an injectable medicine used to treat severe asthma in adults and children at least 12 years old. It is used in addition to other standard asthma treatments when symptoms are not controlled well enough.

Tezspire is amonoclonal antibody, which means it interacts with your immune system to block certain proteins that can cause inflammation in the airways, leading to asthma symptoms.

Avoid livevaccinationswhile taking Tezspire, such as the chickenpox vaccine, FluMist (nasal spray flu vaccine), and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccines.

How Can I Stay Healthy While Taking Tezspire?

Sometimes the standard treatments for asthma, like pills and inhalers, are simply not enough to control the condition. Fortunately, in the last decade or so, the advancement of drugs calledmonoclonal antibodieshave made an enormous difference in treating many conditions such as cancer, arthritis, asthma, gastrointestinal conditions likeCrohn’s diseaseandulcerative colitis, and skin conditions likepsoriasisandeczema.

While it may seem scary at first to receive an injection, know thatsubcutaneous injectionsare often quick and cause little to no pain. Being patient and sticking to your dosing schedule while continuing to use other prescribed medicines will help you keep your asthma symptoms under control.

Medical DisclaimerVerywell Health’s drug information is meant for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a healthcare provider. Consult your healthcare provider before taking any new medication(s).IBM Watson Micromedexprovides some of the drug content, as indicated on the page.

Medical Disclaimer

Verywell Health’s drug information is meant for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a healthcare provider. Consult your healthcare provider before taking any new medication(s).IBM Watson Micromedexprovides some of the drug content, as indicated on the page.

3 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Food and Drug Administration.Tezspire package insert.

Menzies-Gow A, Corren J, Bourdin A, et al.Tezepelumab in adults and adolescents with severe, uncontrolled asthma.N Engl J Med. 2021;384:1800-1809. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2034975

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