Anti-interleukin 5 therapies in severe asthma

Severe asthma is a well known major socioeconomic problem and poses a large challenge to physicians. 1 Stokes JR Casale TB Characterization of asthma endotypes: implications for therapy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2016; 117: 121-125 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (90) Google Scholar Although definitions of severe asthma vary across different studies, the fact that it does not respond optimally to the recommended standard of care 2 Global Initiative for Asthma. Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention, 2017. Global Initiative for Asthma, 2017. Google Scholar and might require emergency treatment approaches or repeated courses of systemic steroids, is clear. At least for the so-called T helper 2-high phenotype (in early-onset allergic asthma), 3 De Ferrari L Chiappori A Bagnasco D Riccio AM Passalacqua G Canonica GW Molecular phenotyping and biomarker development: are we on our way towards targeted therapy for severe asthma?. Expert Rev Respir Med. 2016; 10: 29-38 Crossref PubMed Scopus (27) Google Scholar the pathophysiological aspects are known in fair detail since the main cytokines, receptors, and cells involved have been clearly identified. This accumulated knowledge led to the search for specific antagonists of cytokines and receptors, namely monoclonal antibodies, targeted to the relevant molecules involved. This approach represents a model of precision or personalised medicine. Benralizumab for patients with mild to moderate, persistent asthma (BISE): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trialThis study suggests that active and modifiable disease processes might be ongoing in patients with mild to moderate, persistent asthma receiving ICS. Although the lung function improvement observed does not warrant use of benralizumab in this population because it did not reach the minimum clinically important difference of 10%, further studies to assess this finding should be considered. Full-Text PDF