A new drug which stops inflammation could half hospital admissions, according to a new study from Leicester university.

The drug for people with severe asthma may allow patients to reduce their dependence on traditional steroid inhalers, experts said. The treatment of new drug is given to asthma patients via the vein.

The research found the treatment could reduce severe asthma attacks, A&E visits and admissions to hospital by 50 per cent compared with a dummy drug.

It could be a new treatment for a third of asthma patients who particular strain of the disease.

The study published in The Lancet medical journal found 621 severe asthmatics with signs of eosinophilic inflammation were randomly assigned one of three doses of mepolizumab or a dummy drug on a monthly basis for a year.

It is estimated that around three quarters of all hospital admissions for asthma can be prevented along with nine in ten deaths.