Omalizumab: Stepping outside our comfort zone to broaden the number of those who can benefit

摘要

An increasing body of evidence indicates that omalizumab, a recombinant humanised IgG1 non-complement-fixing monoclonal antibody that binds to the high-affinity receptor-binding domain (Ce3) on the Fc portion of free IgE, is clinically effective in patients with intrinsic asthma [1-3], which, by definition, is asthma without atopy and, consequently, without clinical or serological evidence of IgE-mediated allergy to common environmental agents [4], and also in other morbid conditions not associated with IgE [5]. This evidence is surprising because IgE represents the substrate on which omalizumab acts. However, the possibility of also using omalizumab in non-atopic patients is extremely exciting because about one-third of adult asthmatic patients are non-atopic, and these patients usually have more severe and difficult-to-control disease [6].