Improvement in quality of life with omalizumab in patients with severe allergic asthma.
BACKGROUND
Patients with severe persistent asthma experience daily symptoms and frequent serious exacerbations that contribute to a significant impairment of health-related quality of life (QoL).


METHODS
A pooled analysis was completed of six controlled clinical trials that evaluated the effect of add-on omalizumab on asthma-related QoL in patients with severe persistent allergic (IgE-mediated) asthma. Asthma-related QoL was assessed at baseline and treatment endpoint using the well-validated Juniper Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). Change from baseline in AQLQ total score was compared between treatments using analysis of covariance methods. The percentage of patients who achieved a clinically meaningful (> or = 0.5-point) improvement in AQLQ total score was compared using the Mantel-Haenszel Chi-square test.


RESULTS
The pooled patient population comprised 2548 patients (omalizumab, n = 1342; control, n = 1206), of whom 96% had severe persistent asthma according to the GINA 2002 classification. Omalizumab produced significantly greater improvements in AQLQ total score vs the control group (mean increases of 1.01 and 0.61 points, respectively; p < 0.001). In addition, significantly more omalizumab-treated patients achieved a clinically meaningful improvement in AQLQ total score than patients in the control group (66.3% vs 52.4%; p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Add-on therapy with omalizumab improves QoL to a significant and clinically meaningful level in patients with severe persistent allergic asthma.
Chipps
Bradley
B
Capital Allergy and Respiratory Disease Center, Sacramento, California 95819, USA. b.chipps@capitalallergy.com
Buhl
Roland
R
Beeh
Kai-Michael
KM
Fox
Howard
H
Thomas
Karen
K
Reisner
Colin
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069444:Omalizumab; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000069444:Omalizumab