Omalizumab and allergen immunotherapy for respiratory allergies: A mini-review from the Allergen-Immunotherapy Committee of the Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP)

Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2022 Nov 1;50(6):47-52. doi: 10.15586/aei.v50i6.495. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Although currently approved to treat severe asthma and chronic spontaneous urticaria, omalizumab has also been an effective and safe add-on treatment for other allergic diseases. Namely, omalizumab has been proposed to be used as add-on therapy in patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma and undergoing specific allergen immunotherapy (AIT). AIT is the only treatment that modifies the natural history of IgE-mediated diseases. This brief review summarizes the available evidence and controversies on the efficacy and safety of omalizumab combined with specific AIT.

Keywords: Allergen Immunotherapy; Allergic Rhinitis; Asthma; IgE; Omalizumab; Tolerance.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Allergens / therapeutic use
  • Asthma* / therapy
  • Child
  • Desensitization, Immunologic
  • Humans
  • Omalizumab / therapeutic use
  • Rhinitis, Allergic* / therapy

Substances

  • Omalizumab
  • Allergens