Abstract
Importance of the field:
In asthma IL-4 and IL-13 have been demonstrated to play major pathogenic roles and therefore their blockade would potentially represent a plausible therapeutic approach.
Areas covered in this review:
Pitrakinra is a dual IL-4/IL-13 inhibitor currently under development for asthma and the existing preclinical and clinical data are discussed.
What the reader will gain:
Inhaled pitrakinra demonstrated a good anti-inflammatory potential and a good safety profile on a short-term basis but its place in asthma therapy is still to be found.
Take home message:
Specific anticytokine therapies might in the near future reshape asthma therapy.
MeSH terms
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Administration, Inhalation
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Amino Acid Substitution
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Animals
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Anti-Asthmatic Agents / administration & dosage
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Anti-Asthmatic Agents / adverse effects
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Anti-Asthmatic Agents / pharmacokinetics
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Anti-Asthmatic Agents / therapeutic use*
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Asthma / drug therapy*
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Asthma / immunology
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Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic / statistics & numerical data
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Double-Blind Method
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Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
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Eosinophilia / drug therapy
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Humans
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Injections, Subcutaneous
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Interleukin-13 / antagonists & inhibitors*
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Interleukin-13 / physiology
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Interleukin-4 / administration & dosage
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Interleukin-4 / adverse effects
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Interleukin-4 / antagonists & inhibitors
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Interleukin-4 / pharmacokinetics
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Interleukin-4 / physiology
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Interleukin-4 / therapeutic use*
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Interleukin-4 Receptor alpha Subunit / antagonists & inhibitors
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Macaca fascicularis
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Respiratory Hypersensitivity / drug therapy
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T-Lymphocytes / drug effects
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Th2 Cells / immunology
Substances
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Anti-Asthmatic Agents
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IL4 protein, human
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Interleukin-13
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Interleukin-4 Receptor alpha Subunit
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Interleukin-4