A systematic review of the steroid sparing effect of biologicals in severe asthma

A systematic review of the steroid sparing effect of biologicals in severe asthma

Contrary to previous treatment strategies, biologicals impact specific pathways and have demonstrated their efficacy and improved outcomes in asthma exacerbations and control. Biologicals are monoclonal antibodies - which are proteins obtained using genetic engineering methods - that act on specific inflammatory molecules or cell receptors to disrupt specific pathways. Moreover, patients with severe asthma are characterized by a high pharmacological burden, particularly, corticosteroids (both inhaled and oral) which have been associated with several adverse effects - increased blood pressure, glaucoma, fluid retention, weight gain - thus, it is relevant to summarize the results obtained for these particular outcomes. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we intend to gather information on inhaled and oral steroid sparing effects (i.e., steroid dosage reduction) from the published RCTs of biologicals for severe asthma. The review was submitted to the PROSPERO database.

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