Control of allergic airway inflammation through immunomodulation

Among the asthma clinical trials published over the last several years, a unique subset has focused on novel means for inhibiting the airway inflammation that is believed to cause airway obstruction in many patients. Such interventions, broadly considered here as immune-modifying or immunomodulatory therapies, include several new drugs (omalizumab, suplatast tosilate, anti-cytokine antibodies, soluble receptors, and recombinant cytokines) and bacterial extracts. In this chapter we review the major findings with these clinical trials and indicate which have changed the management of asthma, which have not, and those that deserve further study.