Profile of lebrikizumab and its potential in the treatment of asthma

Abstract

Diego Jose Maselli,1 Holly Keyt,1 Linda Rogers,2 1Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 2Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine Division, Mount Sinai-National Jewish Health Respiratory Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USAAbstract: Interleukin (IL)-13 has been associated with multiple inflammatory features of asthma. It affects multiple cellular lines in asthma and is a key mediator in airway hyperreactivity and remodeling. Periostin, an extracellular protein, has been used as a surrogate marker of IL-13 activity and has been linked to airway remodeling by inducing subepithelial fibrosis. Lebrikizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets IL-13. Studies have demonstrated promising results with lebrikizumab therapy in asthma with regard to pulmonary function and exacerbation rates, especially on those patients with surrogate markers of T helper cell type 2-driven inflammation (ie, elevated immunoglobulin E levels, eosinophil counts, periostin levels). Lebrikizumab appears to be a safe therapy, but there are ongoing studies evaluating its efficacy and safety profile. Other therapies that target IL-13 and the receptor of IL-4/IL-13 have been studied, but future studies are needed to determine their role in the treatment of asthma.Keywords: asthma, severe asthma, lebrikizumab, IL-13, periostin