The first new asthma pill for nearly 20 years has the power to significantly reduce the severity of the condition.

The new drug, which has been described as ‘a game changer for future treatment of asthma’, was found to lower asthma biomarkers five-fold.

Around 5.4 million people suffer from asthma in Britain and three people die every day because of attacks although it is estimated that two thirds of deaths are preventable.

The new drug, called Fevipiprant, works by stopping inflammatory cells getting into the airways while also repairing damage to prevent attacks. It is likely to halve the number of severe attacks, and potentially save hundreds of lives each year.

Asthma charities said the new medication showed ‘massive promise,’ while sufferers trialing the drug said it had changed their lives.

“A unique feature of this study was how it included measurements of symptoms, lung function using breathing tests, sampling of the airway wall, and CT scans of the chest to give a complete picture of how the new drug works,” said Professor Christopher Brightling, Clinical Professor in Respiratory Medicine at the University of Leicester.

“Most treatments might improve some of these features of disease, but with Fevipiprant improvements were seen with all of the types of tests.