Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Apr 4:9:71-81.
doi: 10.2147/JAA.S78049. eCollection 2016.

Benralizumab: a unique IL-5 inhibitor for severe asthma

Laren D Tan  1 , Jennifer M Bratt  2 , Dorottya Godor  3 , Samuel Louie  2 , Nicholas J Kenyon  2
Affiliations
Review

Benralizumab: a unique IL-5 inhibitor for severe asthma

Laren D Tan et al. J Asthma Allergy. .

Abstract

The presence of eosinophilic inflammation is a characteristic feature of chronic and acute inflammation in asthma. An estimated 5%-10% of the 300 million people worldwide who suffer from asthma have a severe form. Patients with eosinophilic airway inflammation represent approximately 40%-60% of this severe asthmatic population. This form of asthma is often uncontrolled, marked by refractoriness to standard therapy, and shows persistent airway eosinophilia despite glucocorticoid therapy. This paper reviews personalized novel therapies, more specifically benralizumab, a humanized anti-IL-5Rα antibody, while also being the first to provide an algorithm for potential candidates who may benefit from anti-IL-5Rα therapy.

Keywords: IL-5; IL-5Rα; MEDI-563; asthma; asthma treatments; benralizumab; eosinophils.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
NAEPP stepwise approach to managing asthma with grades of recommendations. Note: Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), (A) High quality of evidence, (B) Moderate, (C) Low, (D) Very low. Abbreviations: ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; LABA, long-acting β-agonist bronchodilators; LTRA, leukotriene antagonist; NAEPP, National Asthma Education and Prevention Program.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The mechanism of action of therapies targeting IL-5 and its receptor. Abbreviations: IL, interleukin; ADCC, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity; NK, natural killer; mAB, monoclonal antibody.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Barnett SB, Nurmagambetov TA. Costs of asthma in the United States: 2002–2007. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011;127(1):145–152. - PubMed
    1. Woolcock AJ. Steroid resistant asthma: what is the clinical definition? Eur Respir J. 1993;6(5):743–747. - PubMed
    1. Chan MT, Leung DY, Szefler SJ, Spahn JD. Difficult-to-control asthma: clinical characteristics of steroid-insensitive asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1998;101(5):594–601. - PubMed
    1. Woodruff PG, Modrek B, Choy DF, et al. T-helper type 2-driven inflammation defines major subphenotypes of asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009;180(5):388–395. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Moore WC, Meyers DA, Wenzel SE, et al. Identification of asthma phenotypes using cluster analysis in the Severe Asthma Research Program. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2010;181(4):315–323. - PMC - PubMed