New developments in asthma therapeutics

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation which has been further elucidated over the last 30 years. This has led to a revolution of pharmacologic targets and the recognition of several biomarkers that have allowed for a more personalized approach to asthma. Up to 20% of asthmatics are considered to be refractory despite adequate maintenance inhaled therapy with frequent exacerbations and poor symptom control Vianello et al. (2019). Newly developed therapies targeting cytokines in the asthma inflammatory pathways have led to reduced exacerbations and improved symptom control and lung function in a subgroup of severe asthmatics. Further upstream targets may provide similar improvement for a broader spectrum of asthmatics.