A Study of Safety and Efficacy of CNTO 148 in Patients With Severe Persistent Asthma

This is a multicenter, randomized (the study medication is assigned by chance), double-blind (neither physician nor patient knows the treatment that the patient receives), placebo-controlled (an inactive substance that is compared with a drug to test whether the drug has a real effect in a clinical study), parallel-group (each group of patients will be treated at the same time), dose-ranging study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CNTO 148. The study will consists of run-in phase (2 weeks), treatment period (52 weeks) and follow up period (24 weeks). The patients inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) medication will be standardized in the run-in phase and the treatment period contains first 24 weeks of treatment, the patients are required to remain on stable doses of concomitant corticosteroids (CS) medication (steroid stable phase). The steroid stable phase is followed by a 28-week steroid taper phase, during which a reduction of concomitant CS medication will be attempted. After completion of the study treatment, patients are to be followed for an additional 24 weeks. Patients will receive subcutaneous injections of 75, 150, or 300 mg of CNTO 148 or placebo every 4 weeks for 52 weeks followed 50,100, or 200 mg every 4 weeks through week 52. The safety of the patient will be monitored throughout the study.

Inclusion criteria

• Physician diagnosis of asthma for greater than or equal to 3 years and a diagnosis of severe persistent asthma forgreater than or equal to 1 year prior to screening
• Continuous treatment with high dose Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long acting beta-agonist for at least 3 months prior to screening
• Have evidence of at least 1 of the following in the 5 years prior to screening or during screening, reversible airway obstruction greater than or equal to 12 percentage change in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) postbronchodilator; Diurnal variation in peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) greater than or equal to 30 percentage change) and airway hyperresponsiveness
• Estimated frequency of symptoms on more than one-third of days for at least 3 months prior to screening (eg, wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, cough, nocturnal awakening) despite treatment with high dose ICS and long-acting β2-agonist (LABA), with or without continuous oral corticosteroids
• Score of greater than or equal to 2 points on the asthma control questionnaire at screening.

Exclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmoanry disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, or other significant respiratory disorder
• Worsening of asthma symptoms that required treatment with an addition or increase in oral corticosteroids dose (steroid burst) in the 4-week period prior to the screening visit
• Life-threatening asthma attack requiring cardiopulmonary support (eg, intubation) in the 6-month period prior to screening
• Have ever used alkylating agents (eg, chlorambucil or cyclophosphamide)
• Concomitant diagnosis or any history of congestive heart failure (CHF), including medically controlled CHF.