According to new data presented at the 2021 American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting, the humanized monoclonal antibody lebrikizumab may improve lung function in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma. 

Previous studies have showed that exacerbation history and baseline eosinophilia may affect outcomes in patients with severe asthma.

Philip Korenblat, MD, professor of clinical medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a post hoc analysis of the randomized, double-blind, phase 3 LAVOLTA I and II studies, which were trials of lebrikizumab in patients with severe asthma on inhaled corticosteroids and a second control medication. 

The researchers evaluated absolute change in pre-bronchodilator FEV1 from baseline (least squares mean estimated using mixed model repeated measures analysis) for lebrikizumab vs. placebo from LAVOLTA I, LAVOLTA II and pooled LAVOLTA I & II data. The analysis selected subpopulations that had eosinophils ≥300 mL at baseline and experienced at least 1 exacerbation in the previous 12 months. 

According to the abstract, a total of 1,081 and 1,067 patients were enrolled in LAVOLTA I and LAVOLTA II, respectively, and received subcutaneous lebrikizumab 125 mg, 37.5 mg or placebo every 4 weeks for 52 weeks. 

Compared with placebo, patients who received either lebrikizumab 37.5 mg or 125 mg had improvements in FEV1, according to the analyses of the individual LAVOLTA I and LAVOLTA II studies and in the pooled analysis.

“A phase 2b study with lebrikizumab in atopic dermatitis used higher doses with loading doses showed a clearer dose-response curve,” the researchers wrote.  “These asthma patients in the LAVOLTA program may have been under dosed.”

Disclosures: MD /alert could not confirm disclosures at the time of reporting.