Mepolizumab
Encyclopedia
Mepolizumab is a humanized
monoclonal antibody that recognizes interleukin-5 (IL-5), and is used to treat certain kinds of asthma
and white blood cell
diseases.
Recent studies have concluded that mepolizumab may improve exacerbations in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma
, an adult-onset asthma which represents less than 5% of all asthma.
IL-5 is a chemical messenger in the immune system
that stimulates the growth of eosinophils. In eosinophilic asthma, eosinophils are present in the lungs. When mepolizumab was given to people with eosinophilic asthma, it eliminated eosinophils from the bloodstream,and reduced eosinophils in the lungs and bone marrow. Mepolizumab also reduced the number of asthma exacerbations, and reduced the need for corticosteroids. Mepolizumab improved the quality of life, but the improvement was "not clinically meaningful," according to a reviewer.
Mepolizumab is also in development for the management of hypereosinophilic syndrome
by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and has received orphan drug designation by the FDA. Mepolizumab has been shown to reduce the need for corticosteroids and improve symptoms in FIP1L1
/PDGFRA
negative hypereosinophilic syndrome.
Humanized antibody
Humanized antibodies are antibodies from non-human species whose protein sequences have been modified to increase their similarity to antibody variants produced naturally in humans. The process of "humanization" is usually applied to monoclonal antibodies developed for administration to humans...
monoclonal antibody that recognizes interleukin-5 (IL-5), and is used to treat certain kinds of asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
and white blood cell
White blood cell
White blood cells, or leukocytes , are cells of the immune system involved in defending the body against both infectious disease and foreign materials. Five different and diverse types of leukocytes exist, but they are all produced and derived from a multipotent cell in the bone marrow known as a...
diseases.
Recent studies have concluded that mepolizumab may improve exacerbations in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, an adult-onset asthma which represents less than 5% of all asthma.
IL-5 is a chemical messenger in the immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
that stimulates the growth of eosinophils. In eosinophilic asthma, eosinophils are present in the lungs. When mepolizumab was given to people with eosinophilic asthma, it eliminated eosinophils from the bloodstream,and reduced eosinophils in the lungs and bone marrow. Mepolizumab also reduced the number of asthma exacerbations, and reduced the need for corticosteroids. Mepolizumab improved the quality of life, but the improvement was "not clinically meaningful," according to a reviewer.
Mepolizumab is also in development for the management of hypereosinophilic syndrome
Hypereosinophilic syndrome
The hypereosinophilic syndrome is a disease characterized by a persistently elevated eosinophil count in the blood for at least six months without any recognizable cause, with involvement of either the heart, nervous system, or bone marrow.HES is a diagnosis of exclusion, after clonal...
by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and has received orphan drug designation by the FDA. Mepolizumab has been shown to reduce the need for corticosteroids and improve symptoms in FIP1L1
FIP1L1
Pre-mRNA 3'-end-processing factor FIP1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FIP1L1 gene.-Further reading:...
/PDGFRA
PDGFRA
Alpha-type platelet-derived growth factor receptor is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PDGFRA gene.-Interactions:PDGFRA has been shown to interact with PDGFRB, PLCG1, Sodium-hydrogen antiporter 3 regulator 1, Cbl gene, CRK, Caveolin 1 and PDGFC.-Further reading:...
negative hypereosinophilic syndrome.