Anti-IL-4/-13 based therapy in asthma

Abstract

It is recognised that airway inflammation is key to asthma pathogenesis. Biopharmaceutical approaches have identified new therapies that target key cells and mediators that drive the inflammatory responses in the asthmatic lung. Such an approach resulted in the development of biologics targeted at inhibition of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13. However, early clinical trials with these biologics in patients with asthma were for the most part disappointing even though they were highly effective in animal models of asthma. It is becoming apparent that significant clinical effects with anti-cytokine-based biologic therapies are more likely in carefully selected patient populations that take asthma phenotypes into account. The development of discriminatory biomarkers and genetic profiling may aid identification of such patients with asthma. This review is an update of the evidence demonstrating the effectiveness or otherwise of the targeting of the T_H2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 with biologics in patients with asthma.

Keywords:

• asthma
• discriminatory biomarkers
• IL-13
• IL-4

Declaration of interest

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organisation or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.