according to a release from GlaxoSmithKline, which developed the drug. This is the first targeted biologic approved for this condition in this age group.
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The approval is supported by both an open-label study in children aged 6-11 years and evidence from other trials conducted in adults and adolescents. The 52-week, long-term study in these younger patients investigated pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety, the last of which was shown to be similar to that seen in older patients.
Hypersensitivity reactions, such as anaphylaxis, rash, and bronchospasm, have been associated with mepolizumab. It should not be used to treat acute bronchospasm or status asthmaticus, nor should systemic or inhaled corticosteroids be stopped abruptly after initiating mepolizumab treatment. Common adverse events include headache, injection-site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. Injection site reactions (such as pain, erythema, and itching) occurred in 8% of mepolizumab patients treated with 100 mg of the drug versus 3% of placebo patients.
The monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-5 was first approved for severe eosinophilic asthma in 2015 for ages 12 years and older and in ages 6 years and older in the European Union in August 2018. It inhibits IL-5 from binding to eosinophils, which reduces the presence of eosinophils in blood without completely eliminating them.