New and Anticipated Therapies for Severe Asthma

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Allergy and Immunology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Asthma is often undertreated, leading to a high prevalence of uncontrolled disease.
• Uncontrolled asthma increases the risk of morbidity and mortality.
• Current assessment tools for asthma control have limitations and do not reliably correlate with physiological measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current understanding and management of uncontrolled asthma.
• To highlight the importance of individualized treatment strategies for severe, uncontrolled asthma.
• To discuss novel therapeutic agents for managing severe, uncontrolled asthma.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of asthma management and treatment guidelines.
• Analysis of current and emerging pharmacotherapies for asthma.
• Discussion of non-pharmacological interventions and personalized treatment approaches.

Main Results:

• Non-pharmacological interventions should precede pharmacotherapy adjustments.
• Individualized treatment based on asthma phenotype and eosinophil counts is crucial for severe cases.
• Biologic agents targeting allergic pathways (e.g., anti-IgE, anti-IL-5) and non-biologic agents (e.g., fevipiprant, imatinib) show promise.

Conclusions:

• Improving asthma control requires identifying uncontrolled disease and modifying management plans.
• Novel and emerging treatments, including biologics and non-biologics, hold potential for improving outcomes in severe, uncontrolled asthma.
• Personalized therapeutic strategies are key to optimizing patient care and outcomes.