Mepolizumab prefilled syringe and autoinjector: a profile of their use in severe eosinophilic asthma
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Disclosure: The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.
Conflicts of interest: Young-A Heo is an salaried employees of Adis International Ltd/Springer Nature, is responsible for the article content and declares no relevant conflicts of interest.
Additional information about this Adis Drug Review can be found here
Abstract
Mepolizumab (Nucala ®), a monoclonal antibody that targets interleukin-5,
has a well-established efficacy and tolerability profile as an add-on treatment
for patients with severe eosinophilic asthma. Mepolizumab was first available
in a lyophilized formulation that required reconstitution and administration by
a healthcare professional. More recently, a comparable liquid formulation of
mepolizumab has been developed for administration via a prefilled single-use syringe
or autoinjector, thereby allowing administration of the drug by
patients/caregivers at home, which increases patient convenience. The mepolizumab
prefilled syringe and autoinjector are approved for use in patients aged ≥ 12 years with severe
eosinophilic asthma in the USA and those with severe refractory eosinophilic
asthma in the EU. In usability studies, most patients and their caregivers
successfully administered mepolizumab using the prefilled syringe or autoinjector.
Patients generally found the devices easy to use, showed high levels of patient
satisfaction and preferred
self-administration over assisted administration.
