Asthma drug trial success
Friday August 17th, 2012
A new monoclonal antibody treatment has made a massive difference to patients with severe asthma, researchers report today.
Treatment
with the drug, mepolizumab, halved the need for hospital admissions, according
to a UK-led study.
More than 600 people with severe asthma took part in the research at 81 centres in 13 countries, reported in The Lancet.
The drug is aimed at eosinophilic asthma blocking cells called eosinophils that inflame the lung airways.
As well as halving hospital admissions and emergency visits, the drug also halved the number of incidents needing corticosteroid treatment, the researchers found.
However the drug made no difference to asthma side-effects such as headache and nose problems, the researchers found.
Researcher Professor Ian Pavord, of Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, said today: "Mepolizumab is potentially an important advance because it seems to be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with eosinophilic asthma that is associated with frequent flare-ups, and may reduce the need for conventional treatment with oral corticosteroids that can have serious side effects including osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and impaired growth in children."
Writing in the journal, Dr Simone Hashimoto, of the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, says the results are "very promising".
She said: "They raise hope for many patients for whom no effective drugs without significant adverse effects are available today."
Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Pharmaceuticals | UK News
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