Anti igE thErApy in AllErgic AsthmA And AllErgic rhinitis

The last few decades have seen a rise in the prevalence of allergic diseases, including asthma and allergic rhinitis. The prevalence asthma is estimated to be around 300 million globally and around 35% in Europe and Australasia and 60 million people in the United States are affected by rhinitis. In India prevalence asthma is estimated to be around 2.38% and 20% to 26% people suffer from allergic rhinitis. Despite varied therapeutic options currently available, many asthmatic patients with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma continue to experience symptoms, causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Immunoglobulin-E (IgE) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. Omalizumab is a humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody, approved for the treatment of severe allergic asthma. Omalizumab inhibits allergic responses by binding to serum IgE, thus preventing interaction with cellular IgE receptors. Various clinical trials have demonstrated that add-on therapy with omalizumab proved effective in reducing asthma-related symptoms, use of systemic corticosteroids and rescue bronchodilators and improving quality of life in severe-persistent allergic asthma patients, who were poorly controlled by available asthma therapies. Drug is relatively well tolerated and has a favorable safety profile. In conclusion, clinical efficacy and tolerability data indicate that omalizumab is a valuable option in the treatment of allergic asthma, in patients who remain symptomatic despite high dose standard therapies.