Patients with eosinophilic inflammation that were treated with GSK’s mepolizumab Nucala as addition to the standard care, reached improvements in health and lung function compared to patients treated with placebo added to the standard care.
GlaxoSmithKline on Monday announced these data from the phase IIIb MUSCA study which successfully met all its primary and secondary endpoints.
GSK said in the announcement of the study that MUSCA is the first mepolizumab clinical trial to specifically look at health-related quality of life as a primary endpoint and assess SGRQ score on multiple occasions throughout the study.
Dr Frank Albers, Medical Affairs Lead for Nucala, GSK said: “The data from the MUSCA study underscore the importance of Nucala as a treatment option for patients with severe asthma with an eosinophilic phenotype. These are patients who have very limited treatment options to control their asthma. For them shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and the risk of an asthma attack is an ever present occurrence and one that can have a severe impact their life on a daily basis. By demonstrating improvements in a range of important markers of asthma control, including quality of life and lung function, these data reinforce the valuable role Nucala can play in the treatment of some of the most severe asthma patients.”
The MUSCA study (Mepolizumab adjUnctive therapy in subjects with Severe eosinophiliC Asthma) involved 551 patients treated with Nucala 100mg subcutaneous injection, every 4 weeks for a 24 week period.