• Nora Drick, Benjamin Seeliger, Tobias Welte, Jan Fuge, and Hendrik Suhling.
• Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str.1, 30625, Hannover, Germany. Drick.Nora@mh-hannover.de.
• BMC Pulm Med. 2018 Jul 18; 18 (1): 119.

BackgroundInterleukin-5 (IL-5) antibodies represent a promising therapeutic option for patients with severe eosinophilic asthma. To date, no official treatment response criteria exist. In this study, simple criteria for treatment response applicable to all asthma patients were used to evaluate clinical efficacy and predictors for treatment response in a real-life setting.MethodsData from 42 patients with severe eosinophilic asthma treated with mepolizumab for at least six months were analysed. Simple criteria to assess treatment response in clinical practice were used: increase of FEV1 ≥ 12% or ≥ 200 ml, reduction of blood eosinophils (< 150/μl or < 80% from baseline) and improvement of subjective condition (patient-judged subjective improvement or worsening following therapy). Patients were considered treatment responders if two criteria were fulfilled.ResultsThirty-two out of 42 patients (76% [61-87%]) were classified as responders. Within the groups (responder vs non-responder), treatment with mepolizumab led to significant increase in FEV1 (+ 600 ml vs -100 ml, p = 0.003), oxygenation (+ 8 mmHg vs -3 mmHg, p = 0.001), quality of life (visual analogue scale; + 28% vs - 5%, p = 0.004) and Asthma Control Test (+ 8 vs + 1 points, p = 0.002). In the responder group a significant decrease in the exacerbation rate over 12 months (1.45 vs 0.45, p = 0.002) was observed. Baseline characteristics (sex, BMI, smoking history, allergies, baseline level of eosinophils) did not predict treatment response.ConclusionUsing improvement of lung function, decrease of eosinophils and improvement of subjective condition as response criteria, 76% of treated patients could be classified as treatment responders, demonstrating the efficacy of anti-IL-5 therapy in clinical practice.

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