Effects of Omalizumab on Rhinovirus Infections, Illnesses and Exacerbations of Asthma

Abstract

A Esquivel, WW Busse, A Calatroni. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017;196(8):985–992 To evaluate whether inhibiting immunoglobulin E (IgE), via omalizumab, would reduce the frequency and duration of rhinovirus (RV) illness in children with allergic asthma. With this study, subjects who were enrolled in the Preventative Omalizumab or Step-Up Therapy for Severe Fall Exacerbations (PROSE) study were examined. Children aged 6 to 17 ( n = 478) were enrolled in the study if they met the following criteria: allergic sensitization to 1 or more perennial allergens, asthma diagnosis or asthma symptoms for 1 year or longer, and at least 1 asthma exacerbation within the previous 19 months. Subjects came from low-income census tracts in 8 US cities. The authors of this study used data collected during the PROSE study to evaluate the effects of omalizumab on viral infection and illness in allergic asthma. This study included 259 subjects randomly assigned to add-on omalizumab and 89 who received placebo. During the fall of 2012 or …