title: Omalizumab improves asthma-related quality of life in children with allergic asthma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Omalizumab is a recombinant, humanized, monoclonal anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody, developed for the treatment of IgE-mediated diseases. In children with allergic asthma, it was shown to reduce the requirement for inhaled corticosteroids while protecting against disease exacerbation. Here we report the effects of treatment with omalizumab on asthma-related quality of life (AQoL) in children with allergic asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  This evaluation was part of a previously reported 28-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of omalizumab (at least 0.016 mg/kg/IgE [IU/mL] per 4 weeks) in children with allergic asthma who were well controlled on daily treatment with inhaled corticosteroids. Dosage of beclomethasone dipropionate was kept constant for 16 weeks (steroid-stable phase), then reduced over 8 weeks to the minimum effective dose (steroid-reduction phase). This dose was then maintained for the final 4 weeks. The Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) was administered at baseline, week 16, and week 28.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline demographics, PAQLQ scores, and other data were comparable for the 2 treatment groups. At the end of the steroid-reduction phase, patients in the omalizumab-treated group reported significant improvements in the "activities" and "symptoms" domain scores as well as overall AQoL compared with placebo. More patients in the omalizumab group achieved clinically relevant (> or =0.5) changes in PAQLQ scores during the course of the study, and this difference was significant for activities and overall AQoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Omalizumab improves AQoL in children with allergic asthma.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53792, USA. rfl@medicine.wisc.edu
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Lemanske
authors.forename: Anjuli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nayak
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McAlary
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Everhard
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fowler-Taylor
authors.forename: Niroo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D001507:Beclomethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male; D000069444:Omalizumab; D010919:Placebos; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D010919:Placebos; D000069444:Omalizumab; D001507:Beclomethasone