Biological products in allergy practice: the beginning of a new era

Abstract

Background: Recently, the treatment of allergic diseases has significantly progressed with the development and increased use of biological products (BPs) or molecularly targeted drugs. Based on cases with asthma, using BPs in allergic diseases has expanded to include chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, atopic dermatitis, and chronic spontaneous urticaria.Current Concepts: BPs are effective in treating severe allergic diseases, which often have limitations with current treatments and limited therapeutic options available. The added efficacy of BPs includes reduced risk of side effects from using systemic corticosteroids. Additional to transforming clinical care, BPs have provided insights into disease mechanisms and identified biomarkers to predict therapeutic responses. This has opened a new era towards personalized and precise treatment.Discussion and Conclusion: BPs for patients with severe asthma reduce symptoms and risks of exacerbations. Because of these observations, whether the remission of allergic diseases can be achieved by BPs has been pondered. Another agonizing problem is that BPs are expensive and many patients require prolonged administration for disease control. As more BPs become available, costs will likely decrease, leading to their more widespread use. Indeed, a new era in the treatment of allergic diseases has begun.