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Real-life evaluation of the clinical, functional, and hematological effects of mepolizumab in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma: Results of a single-centre observational study.
Real-life evaluation of the clinical, functional, and hematological effects of mepolizumab in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma: Results of a single-centre observational study.
- Source :
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Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics [Pulm Pharmacol Ther] 2018 Dec; Vol. 53, pp. 1-5. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Sep 11. - Publication Year :
- 2018
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Abstract
- Mepolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody which targets interleukin-5 (IL-5) and is nowadays available in many countries for add-on biological therapy of severe eosinophilic asthma. Although the approval of mepolizumab use in clinical practice has been made possible by several successful pre-marketing controlled trials, so far only a very few studies have been performed in a real-life setting. Within such a context, our present observational investigation refers to 14 patients with refractory eosinophilic asthma, currently treated with mepolizumab at the Respiratory Unit of "Magna Græcia" University Hospital located in Catanzaro, Italy, whose anti-IL-5 treatment began between June 2017 and January 2018. These patients experienced a significant increase in asthma control test (ACT) score, that was evaluated at baseline (13.64 ± 3.00), as well as after 4 weeks (18.86 ± 3.15; p < 0.0001) and 24 weeks (20.07 ± 1.94; p < 0.0001) of add-on therapy with mepolizumab. This relevant improvement in symptom control was paralleled by a dramatic fall of blood eosinophil numbers, counted at baseline (647.1 ± 274.7 cells/μl), and at the 4th (147.8 ± 66.5 cells/μl; p < 0.0001) and 24th week (98.6 ± 40.3 cells/μl; p < 0.0001) after starting add-on treatment with mepolizumab. These changes were associated with significant and stable increases in FEV <subscript>1</subscript> , which was recorded at baseline (1389 ± 454.3 mL), as well as after 4 weeks (1711 ± 482.3 mL; p < 0.001) and 24 weeks (1701 ± 456.0 mL; p < 0.01). Moreover, in comparison to the 6 months preceding the beginning of treatment with mepolizumab, after 24 weeks of anti-IL-5 therapy significant decreases were detected with regard to exacerbation numbers (from 3.64 ± 1.86 to 1.0 ± 0.78; p < 0.001) and oral intake of prednisone (from 24.11 ± 10.36 mg/day to 1.78 ± 3.82 mg/day). Therefore, these preliminary data referring to our single-centre observational study corroborate, in a real-life environment, the efficacy of mepolizumab for treatment of patients with exacerbation-prone, corticosteroid-refractory, severe eosinophilic asthma.<br /> (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Adrenal Cortex Hormones administration & dosage
Aged
Anti-Asthmatic Agents pharmacology
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized pharmacology
Asthma physiopathology
Eosinophilia physiopathology
Female
Forced Expiratory Volume
Humans
Interleukin-5 immunology
Italy
Male
Middle Aged
Severity of Illness Index
Treatment Outcome
Anti-Asthmatic Agents administration & dosage
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized administration & dosage
Asthma drug therapy
Eosinophilia drug therapy
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1522-9629
- Volume :
- 53
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 30217438
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pupt.2018.09.006