Targeted therapy in bronchial asthma. Benralizumab: focus on patients using systemic glucocorticosteroids

Abstract

A severe course of bronchial asthma develops in 5–20% of patients with bronchial asthma. The use of key disease-modifying agents for the treatment of severe bronchial asthma (SBA) is not always effective due to the possible uncontrolled course of the disease and persistence of signs of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Therefore, the isolation of phenotypes/ endotypes is important for an individual approach to the treatment of such patients. This method permits to get better control over the disease and reduces the risks of exacerbations, airway remodelling and unwanted adverse reactions to the therapy particularly with systemic glucocorticosteroids. The use of biological therapy among other drugs can greatly contribute to the achievement of good control over management of patients with uncontrolled severe asthma. There are currently 5 registered immunobiological drugs in Russia that belong to the group of SBA phenotype-based treatment modalities: anti-IgE therapy, anti-IL-4/13 therapy, anti-IL-5 therapy and anti-IL5Rα therapy. Depending on the disease history, clinical features of bronchial asthma course, the presence of hypersensitivity to one of the year-round allergens and the levels of laboratory markers, the medical professional establishes the exact diagnosis indicating a disease phenotype (allergic BA, eosinophilic or non-allergic BA) and addresses an issue of an appropriate drug for a patient with BA. Benralizumab (Fazenra), a humanized monoclonal antibody, generates considerable interest. Benralizumab has a slightly different principle of action: it blocks not interleukin-5 itself, but the alpha subunit of the interleukin-5 receptor (IL-5Rα), triggers active apoptosis of eosinophils, reducing their level in sputum and blood. The results of clinical studies showed the efficacy of the drug, which resulted in the significant reduction of bronchial asthma exacerbations and a dose of systemic glucocorticosteroids.