FDA approves Cinqair for asthma treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Cinqair (reslizumab) for the treatment of severe asthma in combination with other asthma medicines in patients 18 years of age or older.

Cinqair is approved for patients with a history of severe asthma exacerbations, or attacks, in spite of the administration of their current asthma medications.

Asthma is a chronic disease that results in the inflammation of the lungs’ airways. During asthma attacks, the lungs’ airways become constricted, which makes it hard to breathe. The more severe attacks can lead to hospitalization and can be serious and life-threatening. Numbers released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as of 2013 showed that more than 22 million people nationwide have asthma. The data provided by the CDC also indicate that more than 400,000 asthma-related conditions result in hospitalizations annually.

Cinqair is meant to be administered once every four weeks through intravenous infusion by a health care professional in a clinical facility that is prepared to respond to anaphylaxis. The medication is designed to decrease severe asthma attacks by reducing eosinophils levels in the blood. Eosinophils is a type of white blood cell that aids the development of asthma.