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Omalizumab and asthma control in patients with moderate-to-severe allergic asthma: A 6-year pragmatic data review
Allergy and Asthma Proceedings, 04/19/2012
Clinical Article
Storms W et al. – The authors' clinical experience (up to 6years in some patients) supports the results of earlier controlled studies, confirming the usefulness of adding omalizumab to the long–term management of patients with difficult–to–treat disease who suffer from persistent symptoms despite optimal therapy with medications.
Methods- Data tracking for 167 patients progressively enrolled between 2003 and 2010 treated with omalizumab included symptoms, forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1), systemic steroid bursts, and need for short-acting bronchodilator rescue measured at the start of therapy; 3, 6, and 12 months after starting treatment, and yearly thereafter.
- Exacerbations were compared for the 12 months before and the 12 months after starting treatment in a subgroup of patients.
- Asthma control improved with omalizumab over time (up to 6 years) as indicated by fewer symptoms and less need for rescue medication (p < 0.001 for both).
- FEV1 remained stable.
- The number of patients reporting asthma exacerbations requiring urgent care decreased by 49% during the first 12 months of treatment (p ≤ 0.01), and significant reductions in exacerbations were also evident when measured by hospitalizations or systemic corticosteroid bursts (p < 0.001 for both).
