A recent study published in the ‘Annals of The Annals of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Journal’, found a reduction in usage of both oral corticosteroids (OCS) and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) after initiating mepolizumab in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA), who were on a high dose of ICS. This retrospective cohort study included 351 participants with an aim to evaluate changes in usage of ICS and clinical outcomes on initiating mepolizumab treatment in SEA patients.

The key findings were as follows:

• During the 12-month follow up, the proportion of patients using high-dose ICS decreased in quarters 1–4 following mepolizumab initiation.
• 0% of patients reduced or discontinued ICS for ≥1 quarter.
• Comparing patients who discontinued ICS versus those who remained on high-dose ICS, a lower proportion had chronic OCS use and OCS burst use in quarters 1-4.
• Similarly, in quarters 3 and 4, a lower proportion of patients had exacerbations and short acting beta2 agonist (SABA) claims.

In conclusion, the results of the study confirmed that usage of ICS and OCS is decreased after initiating treatment with mepolizumab in patients with SEA on high-dose ICS,. These findings provide important implications for clinical outcomes and follow-up care in SEA patients.