New and Emerging Biological Medications for Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis and Chronic Rhinosinusitis: a Concise Review

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to survey the current literature describing the use of biologic agents in the treatment of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and chronic rhinosinusitis. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three biologic agents for asthma and four sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) products for allergic rhinitis (AR). While no agents are specifically approved for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), the overlap between asthma, AR, and CRS potentially affords FDA-approved treatment options for CRS patients. In addition to currently approved products for these conditions, other agents are currently under investigation. Biologic agents have the potential to improve quality of life and reduce exacerbations and steroid use for patients with asthma. SLIT is a convenient method of administering immunotherapy to patients with AR. The current literature does not adequately compare the effectiveness of SLIT to subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), but results are favorable to placebo for both. While not FDA approved as a treatment for CRS, biologic agents have resulted in benefits in subjective quality of life and objective nasal outcomes in clinical studies of patients with CRS and eosinophilia. Mechanisms and clinical outcomes of new and upcoming biologic agents for asthma, AR, and CRS are described. It is expected that in the next decade, there will be more of these agents approved for use in these conditions.