Longitudinal changes in asthma control with omalizumab: 2-year interim data from the EXCELS Study.

BACKGROUND: Asthma guidelines emphasize the importance of achieving and maintaining asthma control; however, many patients with moderate to severe asthma fail to achieve adequate control.

OBJECTIVE: This 2-year interim analysis evaluated the longitudinal effects of omalizumab on asthma control in patients treated in real-world clinical practice settings.

METHODS: EXCELS is an ongoing observational cohort study of approximately 5000 omalizumab-treated and 2500 non-omalizumab-treated patients aged ≥12 years with moderate to severe asthma. Asthma control was measured using the Asthma Control Test (ACT) every 6 months.

RESULTS: Subgroups of the omalizumab cohort included those who initiated omalizumab at baseline (new starts, n = 549) and those treated with omalizumab >7 days before baseline (established users, n = 4421). For reference, data are also presented for patients who were not receiving omalizumab prior to or at the time of enrolment (non-omalizumab, n = 2867). Over half of the new starts (54%) achieved improvement in ACT consistent with the minimally important difference (MID, defined as ≥3-point improvement) by Month 6 and this proportion increased throughout the follow-up period, reaching 62% at Month 24. Similar results were observed in patients stratified by moderate and severe asthma. Established users of omalizumab maintained asthma control throughout the observation period.

CONCLUSION: Over a 2-year period, patients initiating omalizumab therapy experienced clinically relevant improvements in asthma control, which were maintained during 2 years of longitudinal follow-up. Established users of omalizumab maintained asthma control over the 2-year period with a small improvement similar to that seen in non-omalizumab users.