Although only 5–10% of patients with asthma are relatively unresponsive to treatment with
inhaled corticosteroids, refractory asthma represents an important condition, as these
patients suffer considerable morbidity and mortality and consume a disproportionately large
amount of health resource. Treatment options are limited and there is a large unmet clinical
need for additional therapies. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α is a pro-inflammatory cytokine
that has been implicated in many aspects of the airway pathology in asthma, and which has …