Asthma Drug Might Relieve Chronic Hives

Asthma drug might help those suffering from chronic hives, a new study suggests.

Omalizumab (Xolair) is safe and effective in controlling severe itching associated with hives, HealthDay reported.

"So what we're talking about here are only chronic cases, in which patients have hives that last for more than six weeks," explained Dr. Karin Rosen, an associate group medical director with Genentech Inc., in San Francisco, according to HealthDay. "That's usually just .5 to 1 percent of hives patients."

Omalizumab injection is used to decrease asthma attacks in people with allergic asthma, especially in those whose symptoms don't go away with other steroids. The drug belongs to a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies and works by blocking the action of IgE, which is a natural substance in the body that causes the symptoms of allergic asthma.

Allergic asthma affects over 50 percent of the 20 million asthma patients in the U.S., making it one of the most common conditions in asthma sufferers.

Rosen and colleagues have published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Their study is part of investigations that are being funded by Genentech Inc. and Novartis Pharma AG in Basel Switzerland.

According to the scientists, chronic hives can be dangerous and sometimes lead to angioedema, which is a "scary and deforming" condition.

The current trial was conducted on over 260 patients of chronic hives who weren't responding to other medications. Patients were divided into four groups and were randomly assigned four treatment strategies; one group got once-a-month injection of Xolair of either 75 milligram (mg) dose, a 150 mg dose, 300 mg dose or a placebo shot.

Researchers found that roughly 40 percent of the people on the test drug experienced reduction in hive severity, HealthDay reported.

The study data shows that Xolair can help people with hives.

"Patients suffer from this severe, recurrent itching, and it is a challenge for clinicians to find treatments that can help," Dr. Robert Kirsner at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine told Healthday. "The data related to omalizumab use, in a well-performed randomized clinical trial, is extremely promising and offers hope for patients who have chronic [hives], and for the physicians who care for them."

Xolair should always be used under medical supervision. The drug is currently not approved for treatment for other kinds of allergic reactions.