Future eosinophilic esophagitis treatments are currently in development. There are currently on FDA approved medications for the treatment of EoE. Commonly used treatments now are proton pump inhibitors, swallowed or topical corticosteroids and food elimination diets. Although each of these options is effective, there are limitations. Swallowed steroids can control inflammation 70-80% of the time, […]
Can you taper your Xolair dosage for hives?
Chronic spontaneous urticaria involves recurrent episodes of hives with or without swelling for 6 weeks or longer from unknown causes. Although chronic hives tends to be self-limited in most patients, it affects quality of life. Most studies show that it affects 0.5% to 1% of the general population. The trigger is unknown and treatment includes […]
Ruxolitinib for Eczema (atopic dermatitis)
Ruxolitinib is a new medication being studied for the treat of eczema. Ruxolitinib is a selective inhibitor of Janus kinase 1 and Janus kinase 2, it potently suppresses cytokine signaling involved in atopic dermatitis pathogenesis. We discussed the Janus Kinase pathway in a previous post and how new drugs are being developed for the treatment […]
Asthma biologic agents (Xolair, Cinqair, Nucala, Fasenra, Dupixent)
The last several years have seen an influx of asthma biologic agents to hit the market. Here we will discuss the 5 that are currently FDA approved to treat type 2 inflammatory asthma. Type 2 asthma inflammation is triggered by IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 along with other inflammatory mediators. Half of all patients with asthma […]
Etokimab, anti IL-33 for Food Allergy
Etokimab is an antibody that inhibits IL-33. IL-33 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is a central mediator of allergy diseases (i.e. food allergies). By blocking IL-33, etokimab prevents the downstream inflammation that occurs with allergy diseases. Etokimab is currently being studied for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and asthma by the pharmaceutical company AnaptysBio. The […]
Fasenra for Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)
Fasenra (benralizumab) for Eosinophilic Esophagitis was made a reality today, when the FDA granted it Orphan Drug Designation (ODD). The Orphan Drug Act (ODA) provides for granting special status to a drug or biological product (“drug”) to treat a rare disease or condition upon request of a sponsor. This status is referred to as orphan […]
Dupixent for Hives
Dupixent for hives is novel treatment option for patients with difficult to treatment chronic spontaneous urticaria. Chronic hives is a common condition marked by episodes of elevated, itching, red wheals persisting for more than 6 weeks without a specific known cause. It is estimated that chronic hives affects about 1% of the population. The mechanism […]
Benralizumab (Fasenra) in asthma
Benralizumab (Fasenra) is an interleukin (IL)-5 receptor monoclonal antibody that induces direct, rapid and nearly complete depletion of eosinophils in the circulation. Benaralizumab is approved for use in Canada, Europe, Japan and the U.S. In the United States, it is indicated for the add-on treatment of patients with asthma aged 12 and up with an […]
Costs of Asthma Biologic Medications
The costs of asthma biologic medications can be quite expensive. Currently on the market there are 5 available. Xolair (omalizumab) Nucala (mepolizumab) Cinqair (reslizumab) Fasenra (benralizumab) Dupixent (Dupilumab) We have discussed each of them extensively in previous post. Xolair (Omalizumab) for Chronic Urticaria (this post discusses Xolair’s approval for chronic urticaria (hives) it was approved for […]
Fezakinumab an IL-22 antagonist for Eczema
IL-22 upregulation characterizes atopic dermatitis lesions. However, blocking IL-22 has not been defined in human subjects. A recent study sought to evaluate the cellular and molecular effects of fezakinumab (anti-IL-22) versus placebo taken from biopsy specimens. Atopic dermatitis is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease with increasing prevalence. IL-4 and IL-13 are the 2 […]