title: An update on emerging drugs for asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is recognized that airway inflammation is key to asthma pathogenesis. Biopharmaceutical approaches have identified new therapies that target key cells and mediators that drive the inflammatory responses in the asthmatic lung. Such an approach resulted in the development of biologics including IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13. However, clinical trials with these biologics in patients with asthma were for the most part disappointing even though they proved to be highly effective in animal models of asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review based on English-language original articles in PubMed or MedLine published in the last 5 years will update the current status, therapeutic potential and potential problems of recent drug developments in asthma therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is becoming apparent that significant clinical effects with anti-cytokine-based therapies are more likely in carefully selected patient populations that take asthma phenotypes into account. It might also be more clinically effective if more than one cytokine and/or chemokine were to be targeted rather than a single mediator.
authors.affiliation: Section of Immunology & Infection Division of Applied Medicine, School of Medicine & Dentistry Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, Scotland,UK. g.m.walsh@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: Garry M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Walsh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D055808:Drug Discovery; D006801:Humans; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D018793:Interleukin-13; D015848:Interleukin-5; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015847:Interleukin-4