A Study to Evaluate Safety and Efficacy of Mepolizumab in Patients with Moderate Persistent Asthma

To investigate the effect of three intravenous infusions of mepolizumab, 250 or 750 mg at monthly intervals, on clinical outcome measures in 362 patients with asthma experiencing persistent symptoms despite inhaled corticosteroid therapy (400-1,000 mug of beclomethasone or equivalent).

Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Morning peak expiratory flow, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, daily beta(2)-agonist use, symptom scores, exacerbation rates, and quality of life measures. Sputum eosinophil levels were also measured in a subgroup of 37 individuals. Mepolizumab was associated with a significant reduction in blood and sputum eosinophils in both treatment groups (blood, P