Airwaves
TNFα in refractory asthma
As Berry and Pavord point out in their editorial in this month’s Thorax, asthma refractory to treatment with inhaled corticosteroids is an important health and economic problem and unmet clinical need. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) α has been implicated in the mechanisms of refractory asthma, where TNFα production is increased, and this has led to interest in TNFα antagonists for asthma management. Morjaria and colleagues report a randomised controlled trial of a TNFα antagonist (etanercept) in corticosteroid refractory asthma. After 12 weeks there was a small improvement in asthma control, but no effect on quality …
