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Reslizumab improves asthma control, symptoms, lung function
Patients who received reslizumab showed greater lung function and improvement in asthma control and symptoms compared with patients taking placebo, according to recent research.
“Intravenous reslizumab [Cinqair, Teva Respiratory] 3.0 mg/kg provided improvements in lung function, asthma symptoms, and quality of life for patients with inadequately controlled asthma and elevated blood eosinophils (≥ 400 cells/µL) that were generally greater than those provided with the 0.3 mg/kg dose,” Leif Bjermer, MD, from the department of respiratory medicine and allergology at Skåne University Hospital in Lund, Sweden, and colleagues wrote in their study. “These efficacy findings are consistent with results from other reslizumab trials and combined with the favorable safety profile observed support the use of reslizumab 3.0 mg/kg in patients with asthma and elevated blood eosinophils, uncontrolled by an inhaled corticosteroid-based regimen.”
Bjermer and colleagues evaluated 265 patients who received 0.3 mg/kg or 3.0 mg/kg of reslizumab or placebo once every 4 weeks for 16 weeks. and determined a change in pre-bronchodilator FEV1 at 16 weeks from baseline, according to the abstract. The researchers also analyzed outcomes regarding patient-reported control of asthma, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flow at 25% to 75% of FVC (FEF25-75%), use of short-acting beta agonists, safety and blood eosinophil levels.
There was a significant improvement in FEV1 in both the reslizumab 0.3 mg/kg (115 mL; 95% CI, 16 mL-215 mL; P = 0.0237) and 3.0 mg/kg (160 mL; 95% CI, 60 mL-259 mL; P = 0.0018) groups compared with patients who received placebo, according to the abstract. Reslizumab 3.0 mg/kg also demonstrated substantial improvement in FVC (130 mL) and FEF25-75% (233 mL/s).
At both dosage levels, patients taking reslizumab had improved Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) and Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) scores, with a greater effect seen in the reslizumab 3.0 mg/kg group (P < 0.05). In the reslizumab 3.0 mg/kg group, the minimally important difference was reached for AQLQ but not ACQ, according to the abstract. Decreases in blood eosinophil levels were greatest in the reslizumab 3.0 mg/kg group, but were also seen in the reslizumab 0.3 mg/kg.
The researchers found short-acting beta agonists and Asthma Symptom Utility Index were improved through reslizumab. Bjermer and colleagues noted mild to moderate asthma worsening, nasopharyngitis and headache were the most common adverse events associated with use of reslizumab. – by Jeff Craven
Disclosure: Bjermer is on the advisory board for Aerocrine, Airsonett, ALK, Almirall, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Meda, Mundipharma, Nigaard Pharma, Novartis, Regeneron, Sanofi-Aventis, Takeda and Teva. The other researchers report various financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a complete list of disclosures.