RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The anti-IgE antibody omalizumab improves asthma-related quality of life in patients with allergic asthma
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 1088
OP 1094
DO 10.1183/09031936.02.00016502
VO 20
IS 5
A1 R. Buhl
A1 G. Hanf
A1 M. Solèr
A1 G. Bensch
A1 J. Wolfe
A1 F. Everhard
A1 K. Champain
A1 H. Fox
A1 J. Thirlwell
YR 2002
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/20/5/1088.abstract
AB The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of treatment with omalizumab, an anti-immunoglobulin E antibody, on asthma-related quality of life (AQoL) in patients with moderate-to-severe allergic asthma. A total of 546 patients with allergic asthma were randomised to double-blind subcutaneous treatment with either placebo or omalizumab for 52 weeks. A constant beclomethasone dipropionate dose was maintained during the first 16 weeks (steroid-stable phase). This was followed by a 12-week steroid-reduction phase. The core study was followed by a 24-week double-blind extension phase. AQoL was evaluated at baseline and at the end of the steroid-stable (week 16), steroid-reduction (week 28) and extension phases (week 52) using the Juniper Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). Baseline AQLQ scores were comparable for the two treatment groups. Relative to placebo, omalizumab-treated patients demonstrated statistically significant improvements from baseline across all four AQLQ domains, as well as overall AQoL score, at weeks 16 (except environmental exposure), 28 and 52. Patients on omalizumab were also more likely to achieve clinically significant improvements in AQoL during the course of the study. Overall, almost 70% of patients and investigators rated treatment with omalizumab as “excellent/good”, compared with ∼40% of placebo recipients. Clinical studies show that omalizumab enhances disease control whilst reducing corticosteroid consumption in patients with allergic asthma. The results of the present study show that these changes are paralleled by improvements in asthma-related quality of life that are meaningful to such patients. This study was supported by Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland and Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA.