6533b7dafe1ef96bd126e27a
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Are biological drugs effective and safe in older severe asthmatics?
Salvatore BattagliaAlida BenfanteStefania PrincipeNicola Scichilonesubject
medicine.medical_specialtypulmonary eosinophilia/drug therapyeducationImmunoglobulinsmonoclonal030204 cardiovascular system & hematologySettore MED/10 - Malattie Dell'Apparato RespiratorioAnti-asthmatic AgentSeverity of Illness IndexBiological drugs03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicineimmune system diseasesInternal medicineSeverity of illnessImmunoglobulinHumansMedicineAnti-Asthmatic AgentPharmacology (medical)Age FactorAnti-Asthmatic AgentsAsthmaAgedRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicBiological ProductsAsthma/drug therapybiologyhumanizedbusiness.industryInterleukinsAge FactorsGeneral MedicineInterleukinmedicine.diseaseAsthmarespiratory tract diseasesantibodie030220 oncology & carcinogenesisMonoclonalPractice Guidelines as Topicbiology.proteinBiological Productanti-asthmatic agents/pharmacologyAntibodybusinessHumandescription
Introduction: The treatment of asthma in older ages follows the recommendations of international guidelines for the management of asthma in younger ages, although older age has always represented an exclusion criterion for eligibility to pharmacological trials. This poses a clinical challenge when deciding whether elderly severe asthmatics are candidates for biological drugs. Areas covered: The current article has a narrative structure to review the current literature on efficacy and safety of novel pharmacological drugs against immunoglobulins and interleukins that mediate and orchestrate the main inflammatory pathways in severe asthma, in order to explore whether older subjects (i.e. > 65 years of age) are included. Expert opinion: Asthma in older ages is not a rare entity, and loss of symptom control is common in most advanced ages. Current evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the safety of biological drugs in elderly asthmatics is scarce and does not allow drawing definitive conclusions. An urgent call for studies specifically designed for elderly populations is needed, with the purpose to assess the efficacy and safety of target biological therapies in advanced ages. We envision the design of large multi-center clinical trials to decide whether and when geriatric population could benefit from biological therapies.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-04-25 |