A new study has identified a simple scoring system that could help clinicians predict which patients with severe asthma are most likely to achieve clinical remission following biologic treatment.
Addressing a Growing Clinical Need
Biologic therapies have transformed the management of severe asthma, allowing many patients to achieve better symptom control and reduce their reliance on oral corticosteroids. However, clinicians currently have limited tools to predict who will respond most successfully to treatment.
To address this gap, researchers from multiple centres in Japan developed and validated a practical prediction model based on routinely collected clinical information.
Defining Asthma Remission
The study included adults with severe asthma who initiated biologic therapy. Clinical remission was defined using three key criteria: no maintenance oral corticosteroid use, no asthma exacerbations, and an Asthma Control Test (ACT) score of at least 23.
Approximately 38% of patients in the development cohort and 36% in the validation cohort achieved this three-domain remission.
Three Factors Predict Success
Analysis identified three independent predictors of remission: male sex, an ACT score of 20 or higher at baseline, and the presence of comorbid chronic rhinosinusitis.
Researchers combined these variables into a simple three-point scoring system known as the MAC score, with one point assigned for each factor.
Strong Predictive Performance
The MAC score demonstrated good accuracy in identifying patients likely to achieve remission following biologic therapy. Importantly, the tool maintained its predictive performance when tested in an independent validation cohort.
Because the score relies on information readily available during routine consultations, it could be implemented in a wide range of healthcare settings without additional testing or costs.
Supporting Personalised Asthma Care
As biologic treatment options continue to expand, tools that help tailor therapy to individual patients are becoming increasingly important.
The researchers suggest that the MAC score may assist clinicians in setting treatment expectations, supporting shared decision-making, and identifying patients with the greatest likelihood of achieving meaningful disease control.
Further studies will be needed to assess the score in broader populations, but the findings represent a step toward more personalised management of severe asthma.
