Monoclonal antibodies for chronic refractory asthma and pipeline developments

Patients with severe asthma suffer persistent symptoms and/or frequent exacerbations despite high-intensity treatment. Their severe unrelenting symptoms have a huge impact on healthcare resources owing to frequent hospital admissions and requirement for intensive treatments. Consequently, there is an undeniable need for more-effective and safer medications. Expanding knowledge of innate and adaptive immune responses is leading to the development of novel therapies for severe asthma. Herein, we review efficacy and safety data from human clinical trials of monoclonal antibodies that are approved or under investigation for use in asthma. Future drug candidates directed at key targets and the specific role of monoclonal antibodies in distinctively targeted sub-populations of severe asthmatics will be also discussed.