Biologic therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

IntroductionChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disorder characterized by a complicated chronic inflammatory response that is resistant to corticosteroid therapy. As a result, there is a critical need for effective anti-inflammatory medications to treat people with COPD. Using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to inhibit cytokines and chemokines or their receptors could be a potential approach to treating the inflammatory component of COPD.Areas coveredThe therapeutic potential that some of these mAbs might have in COPD is reviewed.Expert opinionNo mAb directed against cytokines or chemokines has shown any therapeutic impact in COPD patients, apart from mAbs targeting the IL-5 pathway that appear to have statistically significant, albeit weak, effect in patients with eosinophilic COPD. This may reflect the complexity of COPD, in which no single cytokine or chemokine has a dominant role. Because the umbrella term COPD encompasses several endotypes with diverse underlying processes, mAbs targeting specific cytokines or chemokines should most likely be evaluated in limited and focused populations.

Automated summary

No mAb directed against cytokines or chemokines has shown therapeutic impact in COPD patients, except for mAbs targeting the IL-5 pathway which have a weak effect in patients with eosinophilic COPD. This reflects the complexity of COPD where no single cytokine or chemokine plays a dominant role. Therefore, mAbs targeting specific cytokines or chemokines should be evaluated in limited and focused populations.