Biologic
UniProt P05113
Mepolizumab
Nucala
- Mechanism of action
- IL-5 antagonist (mAb)
- In plain language
- A lab-made antibody that locks onto IL-5, a signaling protein that tells the body to make and sustain eosinophils — an immune cell that, in excess, drives inflammation in conditions like severe asthma.
- How it works
- Mepolizumab is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds circulating interleukin-5 with high affinity, preventing IL-5 from engaging the alpha subunit of its receptor complex on the eosinophil surface. By blocking this ligand-receptor interaction, mepolizumab interrupts a key survival and maturation signal for eosinophils, reducing their production in bone marrow and shortening their circulating lifespan, producing blood eosinophil reductions of roughly 79-92% within four weeks.
- Therapeutic applications
- FDA-indicated as add-on maintenance therapy for severe eosinophilic asthma in patients 6 and older, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, and COPD with an eosinophilic phenotype. Also indicated as treatment for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis and hypereosinophilic syndrome in patients 12 and older.
- Class
- Monoclonal antibody
- Therapeutic area
- Respiratory / Immunology
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