title: Changes in asthma control, work productivity, and impairment with omalizumab: 5-year EXCELS study results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma poses a significant disease burden worldwide. Current guidelines emphasize achieving and maintaining asthma control.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe longitudinal changes of asthma control and asthma-related work, school, and activity impairment for patients with moderate-to-severe asthma treated with omalizumab and those who did not receive omalizumab in a real-world setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used 5 years of data from patients ages ≥12 years old with moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma who were enrolled in the Evaluating Clinical Effectiveness and Long-term Safety in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Asthma observational study. Asthma control was assessed with the Asthma Control Test for 5 years, and asthma-related work, school, and activity impairment was measured with the Work Productivity/Activity Impairment-Asthma questionnaire for the first 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of patients treated with omalizumab (n = 4930) and with well-controlled asthma (Asthma Control Test score, >20) increased from 45% at baseline to 61% at month 60, and it was 49% (baseline) and 67% (month 60) for the non-omalizumab-treated cohort (n = 2779). For new starters to omalizumab (n = 576), the percentage with well-controlled asthma increased from 25% at baseline to 51% at month 6, and to 60% at month 60. Patients in the omalizumab-treated cohort and those in the non-omalizumab-treated cohort experienced a reduction in asthma-related work, school, and activity impairment. The amount of improvement in asthma control achieved and the reduction in asthma-related work, school, and activity impairment were similar, regardless of asthma severity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On average, patients in the Evaluating Clinical Effectiveness and Long-term Safety in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Asthma observational study who initiated omalizumab experienced clinically significant improvement in asthma control, which was observed within 6 months and persisted for 5 years.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Medical Affairs, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: James L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Zazzali
authors.forename: Karina P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Raimundo
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Trzaskoma
authors.forename: Karin E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Rosén
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schatz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069444:Omalizumab / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D000069444:Omalizumab