Mepolizumab effective in Allergic and Non-Allergic Asthma: Study

Eosinophilia provides a common denominator for overlapping allergic and non-allergic asthma phenotypes and offers a basis for the efficacy of mepolizumab. While the efficacy and safety of mepolizumab in severe asthma are well-documented, comparative effectiveness data among allergic and non-allergic phenotypes is limited. This study compared the impact of treatment with mepolizumab on patients with allergic versus non-allergic asthma.

This was a retrospective cohort study using administrative claims data from Optum Research Database. The study population included patients with asthma (>=6 years) initiated on mepolizumab between January 2016–December 2019. The asthma exacerbation rate and OCS use were assessed in both the 12 months before (baseline period) and 12 months following (follow-up period) mepolizumab initiation. Allergic status was ascertained using diagnosis codes, medication use and lab test results.

Results:

In total 240 (44.6%) allergic and 298 (55.4%) non-allergic asthma patients met eligibility criteria.

The mean (SD) asthma exacerbation rate was substantially reduced from baseline to follow-up for both allergic asthma and non-allergic asthma patients

Significant reduction was also observed with regards to mean (SD) count of OCS claims from baseline to follow-up for patients with allergic and non-allergic asthma

No significant differences were observed between cohorts in the decreases in asthma exacerbations or counts of OCS claims from baseline to follow-up.

This study supports the real-world effectiveness of mepolizumab for the treatment of severe asthma with allergic and non-allergic phenotypes.

Reference:

Silver J, Steffens A, Chastek B, Deb A. Real world effectiveness of mepolizumab in patients with allergic and non-allergic asthma. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2022;125(5):S42-43. doi:10.1016/j.anai.2022.08.624