Positive studies MENSA and SIRIUS of mepolizumab for Asthma- GSK

Results published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) congress provide further data from the two pivotal Phase III asthma studies of mepolizumab, an investigational IL-5 antagonist monoclonal antibody from GSK. The objective of these pivotal studies( MENSA - MEpolizumab as adjunctive therapy iN patients with Severe Asthma SIRIUS � The SteroId ReductIon with MepolizUmab Study) was to evaluate the impact of mepolizumab on a number of key endpoints.

Both studies met their primary endpoints, with patients receiving mepolizumab achieving a statistically significant reduction in the frequency of clinically significant asthma exacerbations compared to placebo in MENSA, and a statistically significant reduction of daily oral corticosteroid (OCS) dose during weeks 20-24 compared to the dose determined during the optimisation phase in SIRIUS. Treatment with mepolizumab also enabled patients in the studies to experience improved quality of life and improved asthma control as set out further below. Mepolizumab is not currently approved anywhere in the world.