Monoclonal antibody appears to alleviate symptoms of asthma

Phase IIa clinical trial suggests asthma treatment may be effective

A Phase IIa clinical trial has found the monoclonal antibody dupilumab may be effective for the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma.

Research, due to be presented at the American Thoracic Society 2013 International Conference, was carried out across 104 patients aged 18 to 65.

Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study involved a 12-week blinded treatment period and an eight week follow-up, with half of patients administered dupilumab and the other half given a placebo.

Those who received weekly jabs of the monoclonal antibody experienced an 87 per cent reduction in protocol defined asthma exacerbations, compared to the control group.

The researchers observed that many of the improvements were seen when dupilumab was added to inhaled glucocorticosteroids and long-acting beta agonists.

Dupilumab therapy was also associated with a decrease in other biomarkers, such as fractional exhaled nitric oxide, thymus and activation regulated chemokine.

Researchers called for further studies to confirm these observations and to better define the target population, dosing-regimen and long-term efficacy and safety.