Biologic Treatments for Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder

Abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought respiratory disease to the forefront of public health, but asthma prevalence has been rising globally for decades. Asthma is mediated by errant immune activation and airway remodeling, but the influences of environment, nutrition, and comorbidities (e.g., asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder-overlap [ACO]) are still poorly understood. Even as a new generation of biologic-based treatments offer better airway control and reductions in mortality, a lack of prophylactic treatments and mechanistic understanding complicates efforts to prevent pathogenesis. This review will explicate and synthesize current knowledge on the effect of ACO and biologics (omalizumab, mepolizumab, reslizumab, benralizumab, and dupilumab) on pathogenesis, treatment, and prognosis.