The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7498 p462
19 April 2008

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Hypereosinophilic treatment

Mepolizumab, a monoclonal antibody, may be able to treat the underlying cause of hypereosinophilic syndrome (New England Journal of Medicine 2008;358:1215).

It was able to reduce eosinophil blood counts in patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome, a group of diseases associated with persistent increase in eosinophils in the blood (>1,500 cells/µl).

A blood eosinophil count of <600 cells/µl for eight weeks was achieved by 95 per cent of 43 patients assigned to mepolizumab and by 45 per cent of 42 patients assigned to placebo (P<0.001).