Reduction in oral corticosteroid use in patients with severe allergic (IgE-mediated) asthma receiving omalizumab in a real-world setting

Background

Patients with severe allergic asthma (SAA) are often inadequately controlled despite available treatments including high-dose inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β2-agonists. Use of oral corticosteroids (OCS) in SAA patients may not achieve full asthma control, and leads to significant long-term side effects. Omalizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody approved in the European Union as an add-on therapy for patients with SAA. In clinical studies, omalizumab has been shown to reduce OCS use. Here we report the effect of omalizumab treatment on OCS maintenance use for up to 24 months in patients with SAA in the real-world eXpeRience registry.

Methods

eXpeRience was a 2-year, multicentre, non-interventional, single-arm, observational registry initiated to collect data from patients receiving omalizumab for uncontrolled SAA. Data were collected on OCS maintenance use at baseline, Month 12, and Month 24. Parameters assessed were incidence of OCS maintenance use, total daily OCS dose and change from baseline, and time to reduction in OCS dose or stopping therapy.

Results

At Month 24, 49% of the patients on OCS had discontinued their use and 20% had reduced their OCS dosage, this was incremental from Month 12. OCS maintenance use at baseline, Month 12 and Month 24 is summarized in Table 1.

Table 1

Conclusion

Omalizumab reduced the need for maintenance OCS use in patients with severe allergic (IgE-mediated) asthma in a real-world setting. Reduction in OCS maintenance use may reflect better asthma control and decreases the risk of long-term morbidity of corticosteroid exposure.