Current Prospective of Anti-IL-4, -IL-9, and -IL-13 Therapies in Allergic Disease

While the incidence of allergy and allergic diseases continues to increase, new drugs to treat these disorders have not been forthcoming. The mainstay of therapy continues to be inhaled steroids, leukotriene receptor antagonists, antihistamines and immunotherapy. Even though these drugs work for many patients there remains a group of individuals who fail to improve with these treatments. With the exception of immunotherapy, these drugs improve symptoms, but do not do anything to alter the course of disease. This review will cover recent patents and new drugs that target IL-4, IL-13 and IL-9, molecules involved not only in inflammation associated with disease, but also with the development of the immune repertoire necessary for the perpetuation of disease. Inhibition of these cytokines may lead to true immunomodulation of disease and finally give us drugs that cure the disease rather than just treat symptoms.