title: Omalizumab for chronic urticaria: a case series and overview of the literature.
abstract: Omalizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks the high-affinity Fc receptor of IgE. Omalizumab has been approved for the treatment of moderate to severe asthma; however, there is currently more and more data showing promising results in the management also of chronic urticaria. We present a case series of 19 patients with chronic urticaria treated in a university department with omalizumab and give an overview of the existing literature comprising an additional 59 cases as well as a total of 139 patients enrolled in two randomized controlled trials comparing omalizumab with placebo. The collective evidence points to omalizumab as a safe and effective treatment option for patients with chronic urticaria who do not sufficiently respond to standard therapy as recommended by existing guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ilya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ivyanskiy
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sand
authors.forename: Simon Francis
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Thomsen