Does asthma control change when patients transition to home administration of mepolizumab?

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Mepolizumab is a biologic agent targeting interleukin (IL)-5 which is currently licensed as add-on therapy for severe eosinophilic asthmatic (SEA). It is usually administered in a hospital setting but with the option of homecare being introduced in 2019, the 4-weekly subcutaneous injections can be self-administered at home. We investigated whether there was a change in asthma control following the transition to home administration and whether a differential response to treatment exists following transition to homecare before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Patients receiving mepolizumab via home care were stratified according to those who had a planned transition to homecare prior to 1st Feb 2020 versus those who had an unplanned transition after this date necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The last Asthma Control Questionnaire-6 (ACQ6) measured in clinic ('baseline') was compared with that collected by telephone consultation 6-8 weeks after transition ('homecare'). Patients were excluded if both values were not available. Results: Of 87 mepolizumab patients included in the analysis, 46 were planned transitions. There was no significant (Figure presented) difference in the pre-biologic ACQ6 (p=0.07) between groups. Immediately prior to transition to homecare (baseline), the planned group had a lower mean ACQ6 than those in the unplanned group (1.19 vs 1.90, P=0.004). The ACQ6 on homecare decreased significantly in both groups (-0.47 in the planned group vs -0.56 in the unplanned group, both P<0.001). The ACQ6 for the planned cohort during homecare was significantly lower than that for the unplanned group (0.72 vs 1.34, P=0.012) (figure 1). (Table presented) Conclusions: We found a significant improvement in ACQ6 for all SEA patients established on Mepolizumab who transitioned to home mepolizumab administration. This improvement occurred irrespective of whether the transition was 'planned' or 'unplanned'. Further research is required to understand the potential influence of shielding during lockdown and the method of ACQ assessment (telephone vs face-to-face ACQ reporting in clinic) on this improvement.