Treatment of asthma with anti-immunoglobulin E monoclonal antibody

Clinical experience with anti-immunoglobulin E monoclonal antibody therapy (i.e., omalizumab) for asthma is maturing. Now several years after U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and release, more studies of the clinical efficacy and safety of omalizumab have been published. We are gaining a better understanding of those patients with asthma who are likely to benefit from the therapy. The large majority of patients with asthma who meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved criteria for omalizumab therapy have severe persistent asthma. Additionally, in patients with severe disease, several predictive markers of clinical improvement with omalizumab therapy have been identified recently. There is good reason to have increasing comfort with omalizumab therapeutic trials, especially in those with severe asthma.