One hundred five cases of chronic spontaneous urticaria treated with omalizumab

Abstract

Omalizumab (Xolair^®) was added to the list of treatments for chronic spontaneous urticaria in 2017. The following year saw the publication of international and Japanese Dermatological Association guidelines giving detailed instructions for omalizumab use in chronic spontaneous urticaria treatment. However, no studies in Japan have yet analyzed the effects of this drug on. The medial records of 105 patients who received omalizumab 300 mg / month for chronic spontaneous urticaria between June 2017 and March 2021 at Tokyo Medical University Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The cohort consisted of 23 males and 82 females with the average age of 45.4 ± 16.0 years. The duration of symptoms was 46.9 ± 99.4 months. Only patients with 16 points on the urticaria control test at three months after treatment initiation were considered to have completed the treatment. The average number of completed treatments was 6.4 ± 4.1. Nine patients experienced a recurrence; of these, seven discontinued omalizumab treatment after six or fewer doses. The patients with a recurrence improved after resuming omalizumab administration, and five of these patients completed the treatment. Omalizumab has fewer adverse effects than cyclosporine. In 2018, the criteria for facilities permitted to use the drug were broadened to “allow the use of omalizumab by allergologists and dermatologists at the relevant facility or in coordination with neighboring medical institutions to treat asthma, anaphylaxis, and other adverse effects.” Omalizumab is effective against severe chronic spontaneous urticaria; its use it therefore expected to become widespread among dermatologists.