Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.,
Volume 164, Number 8, October 2001, S12-S17
Anti-Immunoglobulin E (Omalizumab) Therapy in
Allergic Asthma
WILLIAM W.
BUSSE
Department of Medicine, Allergy and Immunology Section, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wisconsin
Several large-scale, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled
clinical trials of the anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) monoclonal antibody, rhuMAb-E25 (omalizumab) have demonstrated the benefits of this agent in patients with moderate to severe allergic asthma who remain symptomatic despite treatment with systemic or
inhaled corticosteroids. The trials have consistently shown that
administration of omalizumab is associated with fewer asthma exacerbations per patient despite significant reductions in corticosteroid dose, stable symptom control despite concomitant reductions in rescue medication use, and improvement in quality of life
compared with placebo. In addition, anti-IgE (omalizumab) has
been shown to be safe and well tolerated.