Study finds benefits of Xolair for Allergic Asthma treatment

New results from the APEX trial of Xolair (omalizumab), from Novartis, show that the drug considerably reduces patients need for steroid use, while at the same time helping disease control and lowering the amount of Asthma exacerbations. Usual treatment for Allergic Astham is oral steroids, but these are associated with weight gain, hypertension, osteoporosis and depression. The data, presented at the 2011 European Respiratory Society congress, shows that in the 12 months after patients started on Xolair (p<0.001), the mean total dose of oral corticosteroids per individual reduced by 34 with 49 of individuals stopping the oral steroids altogether and 64 considerably reducing their oral corticosteroid dosage. compared to the previous year patients experienced a considerable reduction in the amount of asthma exacerbations after 12 months of treatment 53 1.7 versus 3.7 95 ci p><0.001). lung function was also found to improve.>