Managing Severe Eosinophilic Asthma with Depemokimab, an Interleukin-5 Inhibitor
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Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
Translated by Nhi Phuong Quynh Le, B.A |
Posted on January 27th, 2025
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The cytokine interleukin-5 plays an important role in exacerbating asthma by promoting the growth and activation of eosinophils. Antibodies, such as mepolizumab, that inhibit the IL-5 signaling pathway have been proven to be effective at reducing asthma severity and glucocorticoids dependency. Depemokimab is a novel ultra-long-acting antibody with a higher affinity for IL-5, which effectiveness in managing asthma has been assessed by a study funded by GlaxoSmithKline.
The phase 3 clinical trial included 792 participants who had been living with asthma for over 20 years and were using inhaled corticosteroids to manage their condition. Baseline assessments revealed that the mean blood eosinophil count of the cohort was around 300 cells per microliter. Participants were randomly assigned to receive two subcutaneous injections of either a placebo or 100 mg of depemokimab at the start of the study and again at week 26. Follow-up at week 52 showed that depemokimab reduced the annual risk of asthma exacerbations by approximately 50%. Subgroup analysis indicated that depemokimab was most effective in patients with a blood eosinophil count greater than 150 cells per microliter. The researchers noted that depemokimab did not increase the risk of adverse events; especially, there was no significant difference in the rate of respiratory side effects. However, there was no improvement in quality of life as measured by the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, which is hypothesized to be the effect of other immune regulators.
The phase 3 clinical trial included 792 participants who had been living with asthma for over 20 years and were using inhaled corticosteroids to manage their condition. Baseline assessments revealed that the mean blood eosinophil count of the cohort was around 300 cells per microliter. Participants were randomly assigned to receive two subcutaneous injections of either a placebo or 100 mg of depemokimab at the start of the study and again at week 26. Follow-up at week 52 showed that depemokimab reduced the annual risk of asthma exacerbations by approximately 50%. Subgroup analysis indicated that depemokimab was most effective in patients with a blood eosinophil count greater than 150 cells per microliter. The researchers noted that depemokimab did not increase the risk of adverse events; especially, there was no significant difference in the rate of respiratory side effects. However, there was no improvement in quality of life as measured by the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, which is hypothesized to be the effect of other immune regulators.