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Chronic urticaria patients experienced complete response to omalizumab retreatment

Patients with chronic urticaria who were initially treated with omalizumab and discontinued therapy experienced rapid and complete response to retreatment of the drug, according to recent study results.

Researchers in Berlin conducted retrospective analyses of 25 patients (mean age, 45 years; 72% women) with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), chronic inducible urticaria or both at an urticaria specialist center. The patients had shown a complete response (at least 90% improvement of symptoms) to omalizumab followed by relapse after discontinuing treatment. The patients then were retreated with omalizumab, an anti-IgE antibody approved for treatment of moderate to severe asthma. In the initial treatment and retreatment, patients received subcutaneous omalizumab doses ranging from 150 mg monthly to 600 mg monthly given in 2- to 4-week intervals for at least 3 months.

Urticaria activity score was used to measure retreatment response in patients with CSU, while patients with cold urticaria or symptomatic dermographism underwent trigger threshold testing. “Carefully determined history” in some patients also was used.

Within 4 weeks of the first retreatment injection, all patients reported rapid and complete response and were able to discontinue antihistamine therapy. Other than mild or transient injection-site reactions, no adverse events were reported.

“Although the number of patients observed here is too low to draw definite conclusions, our findings strongly suggest that retreatment with omalizumab is a safe and effective option for treatment of urticaria in patients who previously benefited from this drug and show relapse of symptoms,” the researchers concluded.

Disclosure: See the study for a full list of relevant disclosures.