The monoclonal antibody mepolizumab delivered subcutaneously is a promising treatment for patients with severe eosinophilic asthma, according to the results of 2 new studies presented the ERS International Congress 2014 and published simultaneously online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In the Mepolizumab as Adjunctive Therapy in Patients with Severe Asthma (MENSA) trial, mepolizumab reduced asthma exacerbations and led to improvements in several measures of asthma control.

Mepolizumab has been previously shown — in the Dose Ranging Efficacy and Safety with Mepolizumab (DREAM) study — to be effective in patients with severe refractory eosinophilic asthma when delivered intravenously.