Xolair Injections for Severe Asthma

Introduction

Xolair (omalizumab) is a prescription medicine used to treat chronic severe asthma not has not responded adequately to asthma medications including high doses of combination medicines such as Advair, Dulera, Symbicort, and Breo. Xolair is an injectable medicine that needs to be given in a physician’s office. It is usually given every 2-4 weeks. Xolair is a monoclonal antibody that finds to the allergy antibody IgE and forms a complex which is then eliminated from the body. Xolair binds to the allergy antibody before it attaches to an allergy cell called a MAST cell. It also reduces the IgE receptors on the surface of MAST cells. The end result is less MAST cell activation, and improved asthma control.

Indications

Xolair is indicated for people 6 years of age and older with severe asthma. There needs to be a positive skin test to a year-round allergen, and the total IgE antibody in the blood needs to be in a certain range.

Benefits

Studies have shown that Xolair dramatically decreases the frequency of asthma exacerbations, improves the quality of life, reduces the need for oral steroids, and lessens asthma symptoms. This medicine represents a dramatic state forward toward addressing an unmet need in patients would otherwise suffer, have a decreased quality of life, and have side effects from more dangerous medications such as systemic corticosteroids.

Safety

Xolair is one of the safest biologically engineered medicine available, certainly much safer than oral corticosteroids. The major safety risk is a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, which occurs in a very small number of patients. The risk of anaphylaxis some Xolair is much less than the risk from allergy shots. Symptoms of anaphylaxis might include one or more of the following: wheezing, hives, swelling, low blood pressure, breathing. difficulties. The severe allergic reactions can occur anywhere in the course of Xolair. Other very rare side effects include eosinophilic conditions, arthritis/arthralgia, rash, fever, lymphadenopathy, cardiac adverse events, problems involving the heart and blood vessels supplying the brain, and malignancy. Please see the package insert for more details.