Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management (Oct 2018)
Benralizumab, an add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma: evaluation of exacerbations, emergency department visits, lung function, and oral corticosteroid use
Abstract
Diego Jose Maselli,1 Linda Rogers,2 Jay I Peters1 1Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX, USA; 2Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine Mount Sinai – National Jewish Health Respiratory Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA Abstract: There are now multiple monoclonal antibodies targeting different inflammatory pathways of severe asthma. Benralizumab is a recently approved monoclonal antibody indicated for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma by targeting a subunit of the IL-5 receptor. Treatment with benralizumab results in significant reductions of blood and tissue eosinophils. Early studies report that this therapy has an adequate safety profile, and this was confirmed in later trials. Phase III studies have shown that benralizumab is effective in reducing the rate of exacerbations and improving asthma symptoms and quality of life in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma. Additionally, treatment with benralizumab has resulted in important reductions in the use of chronic oral corticosteroids. In this review, we evaluate the evidence up to date on the efficacy of benralizumab in severe eosinophilic asthma and explore the implications of this therapy in the ever-growing landscape of therapies for severe asthma. Keywords: MEDI-563, benralizumab, anti-IL-5, IL-5 antibody, IL-5 receptor antibody
