Comparative effectiveness of Anti-IL5 and Anti-IgE biologic classes in
severe asthma patients eligible for both
Abstract
Background Patients with severe asthma may present with characteristics
representing overlapping phenotypes, making them eligible for more than
one class of biologic. Our aim was to describe the profile of severe
adult asthma patients eligible for both anti-IgE and anti-IL5/5R and to
compare the effectiveness of both classes of treatment in real life.
Methods This was a prospective cohort study that included adult severe
asthma patients from 22 countries enrolled into the International Severe
Asthma registry (ISAR) who were eligible for both anti-IgE and
anti-IL5/5R. The effectiveness of anti-IgE and anti-IL5/5R was compared
in a 1:1 matched cohort. Exacerbation rate was the primary effectiveness
endpoint. Secondary endpoints included long-term-oral corticosteroid
(LTOCS) use, asthma-related emergency room (ER) attendance and hospital
admissions. Results In the matched analysis (n=350/group), the mean
annualized exacerbation rate decreased by 47.1% in the anti-IL5/5R
group and 38.7% in the anti-IgE group. Patients treated with
anti-IL5/5R were less likely to experience a future exacerbation
(adjusted IRR 0.76; 95% CI 0.64, 0.89; p<0.001) and
experienced a greater reduction in mean LTOCS dose than those treated
with anti-IgE (37.44% vs 20.55% reduction; p=0.023).) There was some
evidence to suggest that patients treated with anti-IL5/5R experienced
fewer asthma-related hospitalizations (IRR 0.64; 95% CI 0.38, 1.08),
but not ER visits (IRR 0.94, 95% CI 0.61, 1.43). Conclusions In real
life, both anti-IgE and anti-IL5/5R improve asthma outcomes in patients
eligible for both biologic classes, however anti-IL5/5R was superior in
terms of reducing asthma exacerbations and LTOCS use.