Failure of omalizumab for treatment of severe adult atopic dermatitis

Atopic Dermatitis

“…Anti-IgE strategy (omalizumab) which is approved for asthma has been tried with variable results in AD 93,94 .…”

Recalcitrant Atopic Dermatitis Treated with Omalizumab

“…As mentioned above, it takes 3 months to see an effect with omalizumab. In a similar context, the mean serum IgE levels of the unsuccessful patients were much higher than those in the successful patients 6,9,12 . If the dose of omalizumab is insufficient, then the drug does not thoroughly block all the IgE.…”

“…Some dermatologists have been tried to treat AD patients with omalizumab, and the majority of them were successful in treating AD with omalizumab 9,12 . On the other hand, a few AD patients failed when being treated with omalizumab 6 . The reason for the difference between the successful cases and unsuccessful cases may be insufficient dosing of omalizumab 6 .…”

“…On the other hand, a few AD patients failed when being treated with omalizumab 6 . The reason for the difference between the successful cases and unsuccessful cases may be insufficient dosing of omalizumab 6 . In the unsuccessful cases, although the patients all are adults, omalizumab was administrated at 450 mg subcutaneously every other week for 4 months 6 .…”

“…Therefore, many dermatologists have tried treating severe or recalcitrant AD using novel modalities such as dapsone 2 , azathioprine 3 , mycophenolate mofetil 4 and intravenous immunoglobulin 5 . Omalizumab has recently been used as a potential new systemic treatment for recalcitrant AD patients with elevated IgE levels, and this based on omalizumab's efficacy for treating asthma and allergic rhinitis, which are parts of the classic allergic triad 6 . Here we report on the first case of the adult AD that was successfully treated with omalizumab in Korea.…”