Burning Sensation with Tezspire Administration
Contact your prescribing physician immediately to report this burning sensation, as it may represent an injection site reaction or respiratory irritation that requires evaluation, though this symptom is not commonly documented in the clinical literature for tezepelumab.
Understanding the Symptom
The burning sensation you describe when breathing in after Tezspire (tezepelumab) administration is not a well-characterized adverse effect in the available clinical evidence. The long-term safety data from the DESTINATION trial, which followed patients for up to 2 years, did not specifically identify respiratory burning as a common adverse event 1.
Immediate Actions to Take
You should:
- Stop any current physical activity and rest in an upright position to assess whether the sensation worsens or improves
- Contact your healthcare provider or the prescribing physician today to report this symptom, as they need to evaluate whether this represents:
- An injection site reaction that is radiating
- Bronchospasm or airway irritation
- An allergic or hypersensitivity reaction
- An unrelated respiratory issue that coincidentally occurred after administration
What Your Provider Will Assess
Your physician will need to evaluate for:
- Signs of respiratory distress: difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath that would indicate a more serious reaction requiring immediate intervention
- Injection site examination: redness, swelling, warmth, or pain at the subcutaneous injection site that might explain referred sensations
- Timing relationship: whether the burning began immediately after injection or was delayed, which helps differentiate reaction types
- Associated symptoms: fever, rash, throat tightness, or other systemic symptoms that might indicate hypersensitivity
Safety Profile Context
Tezepelumab has demonstrated a favorable safety profile in clinical trials:
- In the NAVIGATOR study, the exposure-adjusted incidence of adverse events was actually lower in the tezepelumab group (49.62 per 100 patient-years) compared to placebo (62.66 per 100 patient-years) 1
- Serious adverse events occurred in 7.85 per 100 patient-years with tezepelumab versus 12.45 with placebo 1
- The medication is administered subcutaneously by a healthcare provider specifically to monitor for immediate reactions 2
Important Caveats
- Do not dismiss this symptom even though it's not commonly reported, as individual reactions can vary and early reporting allows for proper evaluation
- Do not take additional doses until you've discussed this with your prescribing physician
- Seek emergency care immediately if you develop any of the following: severe difficulty breathing, throat swelling, widespread rash, dizziness, or rapid heart rate
Documentation for Your Provider
When contacting your physician, be prepared to describe:
- Exact timing of symptom onset relative to injection
- Duration and intensity of the burning sensation
- Location (specific airways, chest, throat)
- Any other concurrent symptoms
- Whether you've had similar reactions with previous doses
The absence of this specific symptom in the published safety data 1, 3 makes individual evaluation essential to determine whether this represents an idiosyncratic reaction requiring treatment modification.