Omalizumab Improves Asthma Symptoms in as Little as 16 Weeks
In persons with moderate to severe allergic asthma, omalizumab has been shown to improve asthma symptoms and reduce the frequency of asthma exacerbations after 28 to 52 weeks of treatment. Findings of a new study suggest that use of the medication can significantly improve lung function in as little as 16 weeks of treatment.
The study abstract was published in the journal CHEST and will be presented October 9 at the American Thoracic Society’s CHEST Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
The investigators examined the short-term effects of the humanized monoclonal antibody against immunoglobulin E in order to build on the findings of pooled post hoc analyses demonstrating the benefits of longer-term therapy.
They analyzed data from 2 phase-3 clinical trials of omalizumab enrolling 1071 adults and adolescents with moderate to severe asthma. Participants were randomly assigned to receive omalizumab (n=542) or placebo (n=529). At week 16, the omalizumab-treated group showed a greater improvement in absolute FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in the first second) values and percent predicted FEV1 values compared with the placebo group. The omalizumab group also had greater improvement in forced vital capacity than the placebo group.
The investigators concluded that the findings show significant and rapid improvements in lung function in patients with moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma as early as 16 weeks. “These data extend prior post-hoc findings demonstrating longer-term lung function benefit in patients following 28-52 weeks of treatment with omalizumab compared with placebo,” they wrote.
The authors call for further research into whether the drug can prevent loss of lung function by attenuating the effects of airway inflammation.
—Michael Gerchufsky
Reference:
Hanania N, Lanier B, Iqbal A, et al. Significant improvement in lung function following 16 weeks of omalizumab treatment: pooled analyses in patients with moderate-to-severe allergic asthma. Chest. 2018;154(4 suppl):2A-3A. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2018.08.003.