New Biologics for Asthma

Two articles now published in the Journal indicate that dupilumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the alpha subunit of the interleukin-4 receptor that inhibits interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 signaling, has a salutary treatment effect in severe asthma. In the first trial,1 patients with oral glucocorticoid–dependent severe asthma were able to reduce their oral glucocorticoid dose without losing control of their asthma when dupilumab was added to their regimens as compared with placebo. Even though the glucocorticoid dose was reduced, there were, on average, fewer exacerbations in the active-treatment group than in the placebo group, and lung function, as measured by the . . .