CONTEXT: Reslizumab is a humanised anti-interleukin 5 monoclonal antibody that disrupts eosinophil maturation and promotes programmed cell death.
OBJECTIVE: We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of the drug in patients with inadequately controlled, eosinophilic asthma.
DATA SOURCES: The search included the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. The reference lists of the retrieved studies were also investigated.
STUDY SELECTION: A literature review was performed to identify all published randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of reslizumab for the treatment of inadequately controlled, eosinophilic asthma.
DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently extracted and verified pre-defined data fields.
RESULTS: Four publications involving a total of 1,366 patients were used in the analysis, including 5 RCTs that compared reslizumab with placebo. For the comparison of reslizumab with placebo, primary efficacy end points: asthma exacerbation (odds ratio (OR) = 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.35 to 0.59, p>0.00001); a forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (the standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.16, 95%CI = 0.10 to 0.23, p>0.00001); Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) score (the SMD = -0.26, 95%CI = -0.36 to -0.16, p>0.00001); and key secondary efficacy end points: blood eosinophil counts (the SMD = -475.62, 95%CI = -528.41 to -422.83, p>0.00001). Safety assessments included the proportion of individuals who withdrawn due to adverse event (AE) (OR = 0.60 95%CI = 0.38 to 1.17, p = 0.16), and Upper respiratory AEs indicated that reslizumab was well tolerated.
LIMITATIONS: The article didn’t research the safety, efficacy of reslizumab with longer term.
CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicates that reslizumab to be an effective and safe treatment for inadequately controlled, eosinophilic asthma.