A Phase III Study of and Efficacy of Ligelizumab in the Treatment of CSU in Adolescents and Adults Inadequately Controlled With H1-antihistamines.

The purpose of this study was to establish efficacy and safety of ligelizumab in adolescent and adult subjects with CSU who remained symptomatic despite standard of care treatment by demonstrating better efficacy over omalizumab and over placebo.

The study population consisted of 1,079 male and female subjects aged ≥ 12 years who were diagnosed with CSU and who remained symptomatic despite the use of H1-antihistamines.

This was a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, active- and placebo-controlled, parallel-group study. There was a screening period of up to 28 days, a 52 week double-blind treatment period, and a 12 week post-treatment follow-up period.

This was a Phase III multi-center, randomized, double-blind, active and placebo-controlled, parallel-group study. The study consisted of 3 distinct periods:

* Screening period (Day -28 to Day 1): Duration of up to 4 weeks in which subjects who have given informed consent were assessed for eligibility.
* Double-blind treatment period (52 weeks): The subjects were seen in the clinic every 4 weeks.
* Post-treatment follow-up period (12 weeks): This period consists of 3 visits (every 4 weeks) with the final visit occurring 16 weeks after the last dose at Week 48.

Eligibility Criteria:
Key Inclusion Criteria:

* Signed informed consent must be obtained prior to participation in the study. The subject's, parent's or legal guardian's signed written informed consent and child's assent, if appropriate, must be obtained before any assessment is performed. Of note, if the subject reaches age of consent (age as per local law) during the study, they will also need to sign the corresponding study Informed Consent Form (ICF) at the next study visit.
* Male and female subjects ≥ 12 years of age at the time of screening.
* CSU diagnosis for ≥ 6 months.
* Diagnosis of CSU refractory to H1-AH at approved doses at the time of randomization, as defined by all of the following:
* The presence of itch and hives for ≥ 6 consecutive weeks at any time prior to Visit 1 (Day - 28 to Day -14) despite current use of non-sedating H1-antihistamine
* UAS7 score (range 0-42) ≥ 16 and HSS7 (range 0-21) ≥ 8 during the 7 days prior to randomization (Visit 110, Day 1)
* Subjects must be on H1-antihistamine at only locally label approved doses for treatment of CSU starting at Visit 1 (Day -28 to Day -14)
* Willing and able to complete a daily symptom eDiary for the duration of the study and adhere to the study visit schedules.

Key Exclusion Criteria:

* History of hypersensitivity to any of the study drugs or their excipients or to drugs of similar chemical classes (i.e. to murine, chimeric or human antibodies).
* Subjects having a clearly defined cause of their chronic urticaria, other than CSU. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: symptomatic dermographism (urticaria factitia), cold-, heat-, solar-, pressure-, delayed pressure-, aquagenic-, cholinergic- or contact-urticaria.
* Diseases, other than chronic urticaria, with urticarial or angioedema symptoms such as urticarial vasculitis, erythema multiforme, cutaneous mastocytosis (urticaria pigmentosa) and hereditary or acquired angioedema (eg, due to C1 inhibitor deficiency).
* Subjects with evidence of helminthic parasitic infection as evidenced by stools being positive for a pathogenic organism according to local guidelines. All subjects will be screened at Visit 1. If stool testing is positive for pathogenic organism, the subject will not be randomized and will not be allowed to rescreen.
* Any other skin disease associated with chronic itching that might influence in the investigators opinion the study evaluations and results (e.g. atopic dermatitis, bullous pemphigoid, dermatitis herpetiformis, senile pruritus, etc.).
* Prior exposure to ligelizumab or omalizumab.
* H1-AH used as background medication at greater than locally label-approved doses after visit 1