During the year 2008 results of major phase II studies in asthma with two different interleukin-13 antagonistic antibodies are expected which will be decisive for the validation of a hot target. Interleukin-13 is regarded to have a central in the development of allergic asthma, mediating airway inflammation, obstruction and hyper-reactivity. Asthma affects at least 5 % of the population and 5 to 10 % of them suffer from severe asthma. Asthma is treated with steroids and bronchodilators, but urgently needs novel therapies. IL-13 has attracted great interest as a target for injected or inhaled biologics, including antibodies, proteins, peptides, antisense and small interfering RNA (siRNA). There are at least 6 clinical stage direct or indirect IL-13 antagonists in active development. All of them are pursuing asthma as the clinical lead indication. Further two companies are close to phase I.

Clinical information obtained so far from the various IL-13 antagonists indicates that neutralization of the effects of IL-13 appears to be safe and well tolerated and shows signs of clinical activity in asthma. There are various approaches to neutralize the effects of IL-13: by directly binding to IL-13 and, thus preventing the cytokine to bind to its receptor and induce signalling; by blocking one of the two receptor subunits to which IL-13 binds (the IL-13 receptor alpha and the IL-4 receptor alpha which share a common subunit for binding of IL-13). The Brief Report “Interleukin-13 (IL-13) Antibodies” compiles the individual profiles of 13 different molecules in development as direct or indirect antagonists of IL-13 in various clinical indications and provides a competitor analysis in the field. The current stage of R&D is assessed and background information on the target, the scientific rational, drug discovery approaches and clinical indications is given.

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