Reslizumab Improves Sleep Quality in Inadequately Controlled Asthma

This article is part of Pulmonology Advisor‘s coverage of the ACAAI 2018 meeting, taking place in Seattle, Washington. Our staff will report on medical research related to allergy, asthma, and more conducted by experts in the field. Check back regularly for more news from ACAAI 2018.

SEATTLE — Intravenously (IV) administered reslizumab was associated with greater improvements in sleep quality than placebo at 52-week follow-up in patients with inadequately controlled moderate to severe asthma, according to research findings presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology held November 15-19, 2018, in Seattle.

“Nighttime awakenings are a cardinal sign of poorly controlled asthma. Reslizumab is an anti-interleukin-5 monoclonal antibody that reduces asthma exacerbations and improves lung function, asthma control, and quality of life in patients with inadequately controlled eosinophilic asthma,” the researchers wrote.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether reslizumab could improve patient-reported sleep outcomes in asthma.

A total of 953 patients (age range, 12-75 years) with poorly controlled moderate-to-severe asthma were randomly assigned to receive either 3 mg/kg of IV reslizumab every 4 weeks (n=477) or placebo (n=476) during the 52-week study period. Patients presented with ≥1 clinical asthma exacerbation in the year prior to enrollment as well as blood eosinophil counts ≥400 μL. Investigators assessed the effect of the study drug on answers to the sleep-related Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) questions (Q5 [sleep limitation]; Q24 [awakenings]; and Q29 [sleep interference]) during the study. 

During the study period, patients who were assigned to reslizumab experienced significantly greater improvements in each sleep-related AQLQ question scores compared with patients assigned to receive placebo. The mean treatment effects were 0.295 (95% CI, 0.167-0.422; P <.0001) for Q5, 0.364 (95% CI, 0.223-0.504; P <.0001) for Q24, and 0.343 (95% CI, 0.195-0.492; P <.0001) for Q29. Differences between the IV reslizumab and placebo groups were considered statistically significant.

In addition, reslizumab-treated patients had significantly greater improvements in sleep-related question scores from baseline at each of the time points vs placebo: weeks 16, 32, and 52 (P <.01 for all). 

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Reference

Jacobs J, Hickey L, Vanlandingham R. Improvements with reslizumab treatment in patient-reported sleep quality in patients with inadequately controlled eosinophilic asthma. Presented at: the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; November 15-19, 2018; Seattle, WA. Poster P218.