ISAR’s new publication "Association between T2-related co-morbidities and effectiveness of biologics in severe asthma” to the highly esteemed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (AJRCCM) brings to light the power of biologics to improve critical outcomes for severe asthma patients with T2 comorbidities, particularly chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps. This cohort study utilised data from 21 countries and 1765 patients with and without allergic rhinitis (AR), chronic rhinosinusitis +/- nasal polyps (CRS+/-NP), NP, or eczema/atopic dermatitis (AD) who have been initiated on anti–IL-5/5R, anti-IgE, or anti–IL-4/13 therapies. Pre and post biologic change was quantified through four high impact asthma outcomes: annual asthma exacerbation rate, % predicted FEV1, asthma control, and long-term oral corticosteroid daily dose. While commencing biologics led to improvements in all four asthma outcomes irrespective of comorbidity status, crucially, patients with comorbid CRS+/-NP experienced 23% fewer exacerbations per year and had 59% higher odds of better post-biologic control than those without CRS+/-NP; with similar estimates for those with comorbid NP, independent of biomarker profile. Notably, findings for AR and AD conversely were not predictive of treatment effect. These results underline the importance of systematic evaluation for comorbidities and call for multidisciplinary collaboration to facilitate the best possible outcomes in severe asthma care.
To learn more about the study, please read the full publication in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (AJRCCM), as well as the accompanying slide deck.
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