ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Omalizumab is a monoclonal antibody used for treating patients with severe allergic asthma. It has has been shown to be effective and is being increasingly used. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of omalizumab treatment in patients with severe allergic asthma.

Methods:

The efficacy and safety of omalizumab treatment was assessed by analyzing the medical records of the patients. While patients were on omalizumab treatment, they were clinically evaluated monthly. The level of control of asthma symptoms as determined in the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guideline was used to evaluate the efficacy of treatment.

Results:

Fifty-four patients were included. All patients were sensitive to at least one perennial allergen and had uncontrolled allergic asthma despite providing standard treatments. The mean±standard deviation (SD) age, body weight, and IgE level were 53.6±13.9 years, 75.4±14.3 kg, and 294.7±227.5 IU/mL, respectively. The mean±SD omalizumab treatment duration was 34.8±20.2 (range,10-84) months. Patients did not experience major adverse reactions that were considered related to omalizumab treatment. Two patients had local adverse reactions, and one had myalgia that was considered to be drug-related. After omalizumab treatment, asthma symptoms were well controlled in 25 patients (46.3%), partly controlled in 23 patients (42.6%), and uncontrolled in 6 patients (11.1%).

Conclusion:

Our study showed that omalizumab treatment is well tolerated and effective for patients with uncontrolled allergic asthma. Keywords: