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Review
. 2023 Jan 16;16(1):100737.
doi: 10.1016/j.waojou.2022.100737. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Risks and safety of biologics: A practical guide for allergists

Andrea N Sitek  1 , James T Li  1 , Thanai Pongdee  1
Affiliations
Review

Risks and safety of biologics: A practical guide for allergists

Andrea N Sitek et al. World Allergy Organ J. .

Abstract

Biologic agents are a rapidly expanding class of medications, and several options are now available for the management of allergic and immunologic disorders. The risks of biologic therapy need to be understood in order to adequately counsel patients and appropriately monitor for potential adverse events. We sought to provide a comprehensive review of the risks and adverse effects reported for the current FDA-approved biologics used in management of allergic and immunologic disorders, including omalizumab, benralizumab, dupilumab, mepolizumab, reslizumab, tezepelumab and tralokinumab. Our review focuses on the risk of hypersensitivity reactions, pregnancy-specific considerations, risk of infection and risk of malignancy. We also highlight drug-specific adverse events and unique safety issues identified in case reports.

Keywords: Adverse events; Allergy; Biologics; Risks; Safety.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mechanisms of Biologics FDA-Approved for Use in Allergic and Immunologic Disorders. Adapted from Fig. 1 in Krings JG et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019 May–Jun; 7 (5):1379–1392. TSLP: thymic stromal lymphopoietin; ILC2: Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells; IL-4: Interleukin-4; IL-13: Interleukin 13; IL-4Rα: IL-4 receptor alpha subunit; IL-5: Interleukin 5
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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