Omalizumab may reduce severe Asthma Exacerbations, finds study

New Investigation into Asthma condition found that despite the atopic status, Omalizumab was effective in severe asthma. This was published in "Journal of Asthma, 2022." 

Asthma is a disease of the lower respiratory tract with characteristic episodic wheezing, dyspnea, and cough. Management of asthma requires avoiding the aggravating factors, corticosteroids, long-acting beta-blockers, long-acting muscarinic agents, and biological agents. Literature shows that in severe atopic asthma, humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody (omalizumab) has demonstrated efficacy in non-atopic and even less in T2-low severe asthma. So, researchers from France conducted a study to determine the response of omalizumab according to the atopic status. 

A retrospective, real-world study was performed on 139 patients in the Chest Diseases Department of Strasbourg University Hospital from January 1, 2006, to June 30, 2017. The response to omalizumab was assessed at 4, 6, and 12 months after treatment and compared to data collected before omalizumab initiation. 

Results: 

• 44 patients (31.7%) had severe non-atopic asthma and 95 (68.3%) had severe atopic asthma.
• In the non-atopic group, omalizumab significantly reduced the severe exacerbation rate by 44%, 43%, and 54%, at 4, 6 and 12 months, respectively.
• A trend toward improvement in FEV1, asthma control, and oral corticosteroid use was also observed.
• These results were not significantly different from those obtained in atopic asthmatics except for a more effective oral corticosteroid sparing in the atopic group (p < 0.05).
• Similar reduction of severe exacerbation rates was observed in the T2-low asthma subgroup (non-atopic, non-eosinophilic). 

Thus, the researchers concluded that Omalizumab was effective in severe asthma, regardless of atopic status. 

For the full article, click here: 10.1080/02770903.2022.2103427 

Melscoet L, Khayath N, Migueres N, Goltzene MA, Meyer N, de Blay F. Severe non-atopic asthma: omalizumab can reduce severe asthma exacerbations [published online ahead of print, 2022 Jul 21]. J Asthma. 2022;1-10.