TY - JOUR T1 - Omalizumab decreases exacerbations and allows a step down in daily inhaled corticosteroid dose in adults and children with moderate-to-severe asthma JF - Evidence Based Medicine JO - Evid Based Med SP - 135 LP - 135 DO - 10.1136/eb-2014-101759 VL - 19 IS - 4 AU - Neil C Thomson Y1 - 2014/08/01 UR - http://ebm.bmj.com/content/19/4/135.abstract N2 - Commentary on: Normansell R, Walker S, Milan SJ, et al. Omalizumab for asthma in adults and children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2014;1:CD003559. Asthma is a common chronic disease that affects over 300 million people worldwide. Between 5% and 10% of this population has severe asthma, which often remains uncontrolled despite maximal conventional treatment. Omalizumab is a recombinant humanised monoclonal antibody that binds circulating IgE antibody and decreases allergic, IgE-mediated airway inflammation.1 In the USA and many other countries, omalizumab is approved for the treatment of adults and adolescents aged 12 years and above with moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma, whose symptoms are poorly controlled with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). European approval stipulates that patients should have a history of frequent, severe exacerbations despite receiving ICS in high doses combined with an inhaled long-acting β2 agonist bronchodilator (LABA). The European license also includes children aged … ER -