PETAH TIKVA (dpa-AFX) - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) Monday said asthma patients with elevated eosinophils showed significant improvement in lung function and asthma control after being treated with reslizumab in final-stage studies of the anti-IL5 monoclonal antibody
Improvements were noted as early as four weeks after initial dose administration and were maintained at the end of the 16 week treatment period, the company said. There were improvements in forced expiratory volume in 1 second - the degree of airway obstruction in asthma.
In addition, there were also improvements in patient reported asthma control assessed by using the Asthma Control Questionnaire.
The company said reported adverse events - which included asthma, headache, nasopharyngitis, and upper respiratory tract infection - were mild to moderate and comparable across the treatment groups.
In patients that were not selected for elevated blood eosinophils, the 3 mg/kg dose of reslizumab resulted in minimal improvements in asthma control.
'Reduced exacerbation, improved lung function and better asthma control positions reslizumab as a potential new targeted therapy for patients with uncontrolled asthma associated with elevated eosinophils,' says Michael Hayden, Chief Scientific Officer of Teva.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX