Biologics in Treatment for Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Comorbid Asthma

Abstract

It is reported that the prevalence of asthma is as high as 25% in patients with CRS, resulting in prolonged inflammation and recurrence. The remission of asthma has been found to be highly significant in contribution to the remission of CRS; hence, the usage of biologics treatment for asthma can be expanded towards the treatment for CRS with asthma. In this review, we summarized the usage of biologics in CRS with asthma treatment, their mechanisms, and future biologics in the development pipeline that would aid treatment for CRS with asthma. Chronic rhinosinusitis is an inflammatory disease of the upper airway, and many are often accompanied by an asthma comorbidity of the lower airway. Chronic rhinosinusitis with comorbid asthma is commonly known as the manifestation of refractory rhinosinusitis, which is a major challenge of its treatment for otolaryngologists. In recent years, the treatment strategy of chronic rhinosinusitis with asthma has garnered increasing research interest. Particularly, the targeting of TH2 inflammatory cytokines, such as IgE, IL5, IL4, and IL13, has spawned an antibody-based biologics treatment against the disease. The availability of the biologics and their clinical efficacy has lent confidence to the overall management of CRS with asthma in order to reduce the socioeconomic burden of the diseases. This paper reviews the current biologics available for chronic rhinosinusitis with asthma, focusing on its mechanism and clinical efficacy, as well as highlighting promising biologics currently in trials that may aid in the treatment of the disease.