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Patients & Consumers Conditions En Español Find an Allergist / Immunologist Just for Kids New Research Parent Resources Pollen Levels Publications Request a Speaker School Tools Seniors The Virtual Allergist™ Treatments Donate Now Search by Condition (A-Z) Search by Topic Allergy & Asthma Issues Educational Brochures Elements of Allergy and Asthma Order Public Education Materials Allergy Shots Drug Guide Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT)		New Research - August 2009 Levels of specific IgE do not predict response to omalizumab Summary The authors of this investigation decided to study the relationship between specific IgE levels prior to omalizumab therapy in relationship to the response to omalizumab. They evaluated patients 25 to 75 years of age who were treated with omalizumab or placebo in a double-blinded fashion for 28 weeks. It was a multicenter evaluation. Their goal was to assess whether pretreatment specific IgE serum levels were predictive of a response to omalizumab treatment. They assessed quality of life, FEV1, and physician's overall assessment. A total of 305 patients sensitive to more than one allergen (with the majority being positive to dust mite) were evaluated. Patients with relatively high levels of specific IgE to two mite species (pteronyssinus and farinae) appeared to obtain the most benefit. However, no consistent predictive effect for omalizumab response was observed either for total specific IgE or levels of specific IgE to individual allergens except for this slight predictive value related to dust mite. The authors, who are located in Berlin, Germany, concluded, based on their data, that pretreatment allergen-specific IgE levels "do not provide any better prediction of response to treatment as compared to pretreatment total IgE." They also concluded that "at present, the most reliable method of identifying patients who respond to omalizumab treatment remains a physician's assessment." Reference Wahn U, et al. Relationship between pretreatment specific IgE and the response to omalizumab therapy. Allergy 2009, e-publication, July 21.   <back>
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