Efficacy and safety of monoclonal antibodies in patients with uncontrolled asthma: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Asthma is a lung disorder that affects millions of individuals across the world. It is characterized by symptoms of reversible shortness of breath and wheezing. While most asthma is treated with inhaled medications (medicines that you breathe in), mainly inhaled steroids,which reduce the swelling in the airways by suppressing the inflammatory response, however some asthmatics have severe symptoms that are not relieved with conventional therapy and require certain injected molecules (substances introduced into the body by injection) for the treatment of their severe asthma. These injectable molecules are called "biologics", which are drugs that are derived from living organisms or "monoclonal antibodies", which are molecules designed to mimic the immune system's ability to fight off harmful pathogens. There are currently multiple biologics approved for the treatment of asthma. However, data on their safety and efficacy when compared to each other is lacking. This study aims to compare the safety and efficacy of biologics used to treat severe asthma through a research methodology called network meta-analysis (NMA). This methodology of research will allow the comparison of various biologics to each other, even if they have not been studied directly against each other in real life.