Source: Urology  |  Posted 5 years ago

By Corinna S. Bowser, MD

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- November 13, 2006 -- The novel asthma treatment omalizumab (Xolair) appears to be effective in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, an investigator reported here at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

LanAnh Do, MD, allergist/immunologist and clinical instructor, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, presented clinical data on 14 patients with atopic dermatitis who received treatment with omalizumab. All 14 patients experienced at least some improvement, and the improvement was particularly marked in patients with high serum levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE). Atopic dermatitis was reported to have resolved in a total of 5 patients (35.7%).

Clinical improvement was maintained even after repeat challenge with known allergen triggers, Dr. Do said. Twelve of the patients had food triggers for atopic dermatitis, and 2 were associated with latex sensitivity.

"This data is promising, and may indicate that there may be another option for treatment of refractory atopic dermatitis patients who are on chronic steroids, for instance, which can have a lot of side effects," Dr. Do said.

In addition, evaluation of the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index for quality of life suggested clinical improvement on omalizumab, she added.

The effect of omalizumab appeared to be early and long lasting. The timing of symptom resolution ranged from less than 20 days to 140 days, but most patients experienced improvement within 4 months of the first dose. Omalizumab was dosed at 150 to 300 mg every 2 to 4 weeks.

There is a clear rationale for use of omalizumab, a monoclonal antibody blocking the high-affinity Fc receptor of IgE, in patients with atopic dermatitis, as some of these patients exhibit elevated IgE.

Omalizumab, by binding to free serum IgE, may decrease the amount of IgE that can lead to degranulation of mast cells, which would initiate the cascade of allergic inflammation, Dr. Do said.

[Presentation title: Efficacy of Omalizumab for the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis. Abstract P190]