Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare but devastating vasculitis characterised by perivascular eosinophilic inflammation, severe asthma, peripheral eosinophilia and sinonasal disease, frequently complicated by cardiac, neurological or renal… Click to show full abstract
Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare but devastating vasculitis characterised by perivascular eosinophilic inflammation, severe asthma, peripheral eosinophilia and sinonasal disease, frequently complicated by cardiac, neurological or renal involvement [1, 2]. The mainstay of therapy for EGPA is use of systemic corticosteroids (OCS), with or without concomitant immunosuppression with methotrexate, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide or rituximab [3, 4]. The long-term use of these agents is associated with significant drug-related morbidity and the risk of relapse in EGPA patients remains significant despite treatment [1, 5]. Interleukin (IL)-5 is a critical cytokine regulating eosinophil development, migration and activation [2]. In EGPA, high doses of the IL-5 neutralising antibody mepolizumab lead to improved disease control and reduced requirement for OCS therapy, with an excellent safety profile [6, 7]. Reslizumab is another IL-5 neutralising antibody currently licensed for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma [8]; however, there are – to our knowledge – no published data exploring the utility of reslizumab in the management of EGPA. Here, we report clinical and patient-reported outcomes in a cohort of treatment-refractory, OCS-dependent EGPA patients with severe asthma commenced on reslizumab. Blockade of interleukin-5 with reslizumab appears to have significant oral corticosteroid sparing effects in patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis and severe eosinophilic asthma http://bit.ly/2D2yYSK
               
Click one of the above tabs to view related content.