@article {Eghrari-Sabet:2018:1088-5412:191,
title = "Real-world use of omalizumab in patients with chronic idiopathic/spontaneous urticaria in the United States",
journal = "Allergy and Asthma Proceedings",
parent_itemid = "infobike://ocean/aap",
publishercode ="ocean",
year = "2018",
volume = "39",
number = "3",
publication date ="2018-05-01T00:00:00",
pages = "191-200",
itemtype = "ARTICLE",
issn = "1088-5412",
eissn = "1539-6304",
url = "https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ocean/aap/2018/00000039/00000003/art00008",
doi = "doi:10.2500/aap.2018.39.4132",
keyword = "treatment patterns, omalizumab, chronic spontaneous urticaria, patient characteristics, Chronic idiopathic urticaria, claims study, clinical practice, real-world study, biologic, anti-IgE antibody",
author = "Eghrari-Sabet, Jacqueline and Sher, Ellen and Kavati, Abhishek and Pilon, Dominic and Zhdanava, Maryia and Balp, Maria-Magdalena and Lefebvre, Patrick and Ortiz, Benjamin and Bernstein, Jonathan A.",
abstract = "
Background:
Omalizumab was approved for the treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU)/chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in the United States in March 2014. 
Objective:
This study sought to describe real-world omalizumab use, in the United States,
in a large cohort of patients with CIU/CSU. 
Methods:
Patients with CIU/CSU (ages 12 years) initiated on omalizumab (index date) with 12 months of pre- and postindex data were identified in the an insurance claims data base (January 1, 2013, to July 31, 2016). Treatment
patterns, including the dosing regimen and continuous use of omalizumab (no gaps for 60 days), were described during the 12-month postindex follow-up period. 
Results:
A total of 1546 patients (mean \textpm standard deviation [SD] ages, 44 \textpm 14.5 years; 73.1%
women) were identified. Most of the patients (84.5%) were initiated on omalizumab 300-mg dose; 90% maintained the initial dose, 7.5% had a dose increase, and 4.6% had a dose decrease. The mean \textpm SD omalizumab treatment duration was 9.1 \textpm 3.8 months, the mean \textpm SD number
of omalizumab administrations was 8.3 \textpm 4.8, and the mean \textpm SD administration frequency was 44 \textpm 29 days. A proportion of the patients continuously treated with omalizumab for 6, 9, and 12 months was 67.3, 54.8, and 47.4%, respectively. Among the patients who discontinued
omalizumab for 3 months (39.8%), 21% restarted the treatment after a mean \textpm SD of 4.4 \textpm 1.3 months. The proportion of patients who used other CIU/CSU-related medications decreased pre- to postindex (94.8 to 81.1%), with the highest decrease observed in oral corticosteroids
(75.7 to 49.9%). 
Conclusion:
In this large real-world study, the majority of the patients with CIU/CSU were initiated on a 300-mg omalizumab dose and treated without titration up or down for 9 months on average. Most of the patients were continuously treated with omalizumab
for 6 months, and one-fourth of the patients who discontinued treatment resumed it. Moreover, compared with baseline levels, the use of other CIU/CSU-related medications was lower after omalizumab initiation, with the most prominent decrease observed in oral corticosteroids.",
}