Treatment with interleukin (IL)-5/IL-5 receptor antibodies in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma and COPD

Background Anti-eosinophilic therapy with interleukin-5/interleukin-5-receptor antibodies represents an established treatment for patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) but did not show clinical efficacy in patients with COPD. The objective of the present study was to evaluate treatment response to antieosinophilic antibody therapy in patients with asthma and COPD. Methods A retrospective comparison of pulmonary function testing, oral corticosteroid intake, quality of life and pulmonary symptom control in patients with SEA and COPD and 1:1 propensity score matched patients suffering from SEA alone was performed. All patients received treatment with either mepolizumab or benralizumab. Data were assessed prior to antibody treatment start and after 6 months of therapy. Results Data from 84 patients (42 patients with SEA and COPD and 42 patients with SEA) were analysed. After 6 months of treatment, patients in both groups showed improved forced expiratory volume in 1 s (improvement by 11% (IQR 5-18) in the SEA and COPD group versus 15% (IQR -3-23); p=0.637) and decreased oral corticosteroid dosages (median reduction by 3 mg in the SEA and COPD group versus 5 mg; p=0.070), without significant differences between groups. Pulmonary symptom control and quality of life improved in both groups. A significant decrease in eosinophils could be measured in both groups with similar cell numbers prior to treatment initiation (600 cells center dot mu L-1 in the SEA and COPD group versus 500 cells center dot mu L-1). Conclusion Anti-eosinophilic therapy with interleukin-5/interleukin-5-receptor antibodies shows clinical efficacy in patients with SEA and COPD comparable to treatment response in patients with SEA alone.