Conditions: Allergic Asthma
Keywords: Asthma, adults, anti-immunoglobulin E ( IgE), omalizumab, airway inflammation, airway remodeling, allergy
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 36
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This study aims to investigate the effect of omalizumab on the number of tissue eosinophils and other markers of airway inflammation and remodeling, including thickness of the lamina reticularis, in moderate to severe asthmatics with persistent symptoms and evidence of airway inflammation despite treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and long acting beta-agonists. This study will also investigate the correlation between systemic and pulmonary inflammation, and the correlation between clinical outcomes and changes within the tissue, to assist in the future identification of patients with tissue eosinophilia and their response to treatment, without the need for invasive bronchoscopy.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: Omalizumab was supplied as lyophilized, sterile powder in a single use, 5 ml vial that was designed to deliver 150 mg of omalizumab for subcutaneous (SQ) administration upon reconstitution with 1.4 ml sterile water for injection. The dose administered was individualized for each patient based on the patient's body weight and total serum Immunoglobulin E (IgE) level at Visit 1 and the number of injections and injection volume was determined using protocol-specified dosing tables. Omalizumab 75 to 375 mg was administered SQ every 2 or 4 weeks depending on the dose for the 78 weeks duration of double-blinded treatment. arm 2: Omalizumab matching placebo was supplied as lyophilized, sterile powder in a single-use, 5 ml vial that was designed to deliver omalizumab matching placebo for subcutaneous (SQ) administration upon reconstitution with 1.4 ml sterile water for injection. The number of injections and injection volume was individualized for each patient based on the patient's body weight and total serum Immunoglobulin E (IgE) level at Visit 1 and was determined using protocol-specified dosing tables. Placebo was administered SQ every 2 or 4 weeks for the 78 weeks duration of double-blinded treatment.

Interventions: intervention 1: omalizumab at a dose of 0.016mg/kg/IU/mL intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: None intervention 2: None

Protocol document: