Abstract

OMALIZUMAB IN ASTHMA: A REVIEW

Magd Gamil Alshargabi* and Deepak Kumar Jha

ABSTRACT

Asthma is a very common chronic disease. Most patients have their asthma controlled with standard therapies such as beta 2 agonists and/or inhaled corticosteroids. However, patients with severe asthma may need an adjunctive biological therapy to control their symptoms. Omalizumab was the first and for a long time the only biological drug available for the add-on therapy of uncontrolled asthma. Treatment with omalizumab is reported to have significant benefits for patients with moderate to severe persistent allergic asthma that is not sufficiently controlled with regular therapies. Additionally, omalizumab showed a promising potential beyond its current label, such as for enabling/facilitating immunotherapy and in patients with nonatopic asthma. However, further studies are needed in order to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of omalizumab therapy in these indications.

Keywords: Asthma, Omalizumab, Chronic Disease, Adjunctive Biological Therapy.