Real-world Clinical Characteristics, Treatment Patterns, and Exacerbations in US Patients With Asthma Newly Treated With Omalizumab

Abstract

PurposeThe objective of this study was to examine patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and exacerbations among patients with asthma newly treated with omalizumab. MethodsData for this study were obtained from administrative claims and medical records. The index date was the date of the first claim for omalizumab. All patients had ≥12 months of continuous health plan eligibility before and after the index date. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained 12 months before the index date. Treatment patterns of asthma medications, including omalizumab, and asthma exacerbations were evaluated in the preindex and postindex periods. FindingsThe study included 1564 patients. Asthma-related medication use decreased from the preindex to the postindex periods (oral corticosteroids, 83.3%–66.4%, P < 0.001; inhaled corticosteroids [ICSs], 33.1%–26.8%, P < 0.001; long-acting β2-adrenergic agonists [LABAs], 6.6%–5.2%, P = 0.009; ICS-LABA combination, 69.3%–64.3%, P < 0.001; leukotriene modifiers, 67.8%–59.7%, P < 0.001). The proportion of patients with any asthma exacerbations decreased by 33.6% (66.6%–44.2%, P < 0.001). Notably, the relative decreases in hospitalization and emergency department exacerbations were 79.3% and 72.2%, respectively. A total of 930 patients (59.5%) discontinued omalizumab treatment during the entire postindex period (maximum, 3400 days [approximately 9 years]), with 353 (38.0%) restarting omalizumab treatment. ImplicationsIn this real-world analysis, patients newly initiating omalizumab therapy for allergic asthma used fewer concomitant asthma medications, while experiencing significant reductions in asthma exacerbations, especially hospitalization- and emergency department–specific exacerbations, from pre– to post–omalizumab treatment initiation periods.