Study of Efficacy and Safety of QAW039 in Patients With Severe Asthma Inadequately Controlled With Standard of Care Asthma Treatment.

Inclusion Criteria: * Written informed consent and assent (if applicable). * Male and female patients aged ≥12 years (or ≥lower age limit allowed by health authority and/or ethics committee/institutional review board approvals). * A diagnosis of severe asthma, uncontrolled on GINA 4/5 asthma medication. * Evidence of airway reversibility or airway hyper- reactivity. * FEV1 of ≤80% of the predicted normal value for patients aged ≥18 years; FEV1 of ≤90% for patients aged 12 to \<18 years * An ACQ score ≥1.5. * A history of 2 or more asthma exacerbations within the 12 months prior to entering the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Use of other investigational drugs within 5 half-lives of study entry, or within 30 days, whichever is longer. * Subjects who have participated in another trial of QAW039. * A QTcF (Fridericia) ≥450 msec (male) or ≥460 msec (female). * History of malignancy with the exception of local basal cell carcinoma of the skin. * Pregnant or nursing (lactating) women. * Serious co-morbidities. * Patients on greater than 20 mg of simvastatin, greater than 40 mg of atorvastatin, greater than 40 mg of pravastatin, or greater than 2 mg of pitavastatin