Long term efficacy and safety of omalizumab in patients with allergic asthma-A real life study

Abstract

Introduction: Efficacy and safety of omalizumab in patients with severe allergic asthma has been established in both randomized controlled trials and real-life studies Aim: To evaluate the sustained effectiveness and safety of long-term treatment with omalizumab in a real-world setting Methods: In this retrospective study, we included patients treated with omalizumab for at least 8 years, in 4 asthma clinics in Greece. Pulmonary function, asthma control, OCS dose and exacerbations were recorded before treatment, 6months later and annually thereafter. Adverse events were also recorded Results: 45 patients(66.7% women), mean age 55.3±12.2years, were included. Duration of treatment with omalizumab was 11.0±1.2years. Annual exacerbation rate decreased from 4.1 before omalizumab initiation to 0.8 after one year of treatment and remained low up to the 8th year of treatment(p Conclusions: In this real-life study omalizumab resulted in significant and sustained improvements in asthma exacerbations, asthma control and lung function, had a steroid sparing effect and a good safety profile