About Allergies: Xolair Get FDA Approval for the Treatment of Chronic Hives

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Allergies Allergies Symptoms / Diagnosis Treatment Coping From Daniel More, MD, your Guide to Allergies The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of Xolair for the treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). CIU is the name used to describe hives that last more than 6 weeks in duration without an apparent cause. Xolair has been shown to reduce or eliminate symptoms of hives in people with CIU who don't respond to treatment with oral antihistamines. While the data on Xolair treating CIU is pretty impressive, it will be interesting to see if many insurance companies cover the cost of this medication: Xolair costs thousands of dollars per year. Only the people with the most severe CIU symptoms are likely to incur that cost in order to control their symptoms. On the other hand, this news is ground-breaking because Xolair becomes only the second medication FDA-approved to treat CIU other an oral antihistamines.   Xolair for Chronic Hives studies show that Xolair is a safe and effective treatment for patients with CIU, and response to treatment seems to be less dependent on a person’s weight, serum IgE level, or autoimmune status. The benefits of Xolair probably only remain while the drug is being taken, meaning that there isn’t likely to be long-term remission induced by Xolair for people with CIU. Unfortunately, since Xolair is extremely expensive, and many people with CIU can be controlled with high doses of oral antihistamines, very few people are likely to receive Xolair for CIU. Search Related Topics:  hives  urticaria  xolair All About Xolair Xolair (omalizumab) is an injectable medication used to treat moderate to severe allergic asthma. It can be used in people 12 years and older who still have uncontrolled asthma despite typical asthma medications, such as inhaled steroids. Injections are given in the doctor’s office every 2 to 4 weeks, depending on a person’s weight and allergic antibody (IgE) level.  Search Related Topics:  allergies  allergist  allergy testing All About Hives Urticaria, commonly known as hives, is a disorder affecting up to 20% of the population at some point in their lives. The swelling that sometimes accompanies hives, called "angioedema," can lead to swelling of the face, hands and feet. Hives usually feel very itchy and burning (although angioedema is often painful) or cause a tingling sensation — and these symptoms often make people miserable. Related Searches Allergies Treatment Asthma Treatment Hives Treatment Itchy Skin Allergies Asthma Allergies Featured Articles Insect Allergies Anaphylaxis Allergy Shots and Drops (Immunotherapy) Alternative Therapies in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergies Glossary of Terms Information on the Most Common Allergy Medications   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...> This newsletter is written by: Daniel More, MD Allergies Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Allergies newsletter. If you wish to change your email address, please click here. If you would like to unsubscribe from all newsletters sent from About.com, please send an email to optout@about.com with "Unsubscribe" as the subject line. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2014 About.com   Must Reads What are Allergies? Symptoms of Allergies Diagnosis of Allergies Treatment of Allergies Preventing Allergies   Follow me on: Advertisement