title: Therapy with omalizumab for patients with severe allergic asthma improves asthma control and reduces overall healthcare costs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with asthma who have persistent symptoms despite treatment with inhaled steroids and long-acting beta agonists are considered to have severe asthma. Omalizumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against IgE, which is used as an add-on treatment for patients who have severe persistent allergic asthma.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the clinical benefit and healthcare utilisation of patients who responded to omalizumab therapy and to establish an overall cost implication.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an observational retrospective cohort study designed to investigate the effect of omalizumab on exacerbations of asthma before and after 6 months of treatment in Irish patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Centres who had treated patients with severe allergic asthma for the 6 months prior and post omalizumab treatment were audited with a standardised assessment tool. Sixty-three (32 male) patients were studied. In the 6 months prior to omalizumab 41 of 63 (66%) had been hospitalised, and this fell to 15 of 63 (24%), p < 0.0001 in the 6 months after treatment was started. Hospital admissions reduced from 2.4 ± 0.41 to 0.8 ± 0.37 and the mean number of bed days occupied was reduced from 16.6 ± 2.94 to 5.3 ± 2.57 days, p < 0.001. The number of oral corticosteroid doses used fell from 3.1 ± 0.27 to 1.2 ± 0.17, p < 0.001. The overall cost saving per omalizumab responder patients for 6 months was <euro>834.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Six months therapy with omalizumab reduced the number of bed days, the number of hospitalisations and the use of oral corticosteroids compared to the 6 months prior to commencement. Despite the cost of the additional therapy there were overall savings in health costs.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Respiratory, Medicine Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland. rcostello@rcsi.ie
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Costello
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gaine
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mc Donnell
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Gilmartin
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lane
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069444:Omalizumab; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000069444:Omalizumab