Omalizumab May Facilitate Drug Desensitization in Patients Failing Standard Protocols

Abstract

Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a common glomerular disorder in children, for which steroids are the firstline treatment. While most children with NS respond to steroid therapy, 20% of children are resistant to steroids. Some children with steroid-responsive NS develop a frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent course and experience significant side effects of steroid therapy. Alternative medications such as calcineurin inhibitors, mycophenolate mofetil, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, are being considered for such patients with difficult-to-treat NS (1,2).