Drug offers hope to asthma sufferers

PEOPLE with severe asthma have been given new hope with the launch of a drug to target the cause of their attacks.

Xolair (omalizumab), which has just been approved for use in Britain, is given as an injection to severe asthma sufferers every two to four weeks.

Trials have shown that it can reduce hospital admission for asthma patients by nearly half (47%). It can also reduce asthma attacks in severely affected patients by 55%.

The drug blocks the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE), which is involved in the allergic process in asthma.

It is designed as an additional treatment for patients who suffer from severe, persistent allergic asthma that cannot be controlled with standard therapy.

Asthma affects thousands of people in Ireland, but their symptoms cannot be controlled by existing therapies. This results in more asthma attacks and hospital admissions.

Xolair was approved for use in the US in 2003 and has been licensed in several other countries including Australia and Canada.

The drug, developed by Novartis, is recommended for patients with persistent allergic asthma who have severe problems such as reduced lung function.

Professor Stephen Holgate, clinical professor of immunopharmacology at Southampton University, said: “This really is a breakthrough for the treatment of difficult to control asthma, where patients can be at significant risk of asthma-related death and regular hospital admission.”