I have severe asthma and nasal allergies, and my doctor has prescribed Xolair. Will this help my nasal symptoms as well?
Injectable omalizumab (Xolair) is a relatively new medication that has been approved for use in year-round allergic asthma. This medication, which consists of an antibody against IgE, is injected once to twice per month. Because of its high cost, it is generally reserved for the patients with the most severe allergic asthma.
After a few months of treatment, attacks of asthma become significantly less frequent, the need for asthma medications goes down, and patients’ quality of life is enhanced. Along with all of these improvements in asthma, nasal symptoms have also been shown to significantly improve.
When the drug was given to patients with seasonal hay fever, their allergic nasal and eye symptoms decreased quickly and stayed low while the patients were treated with the drug. Similarly, in patients with year-round allergies caused by dust mites and animal danders, symptoms became much better after a couple of weeks, and the need for oral antihistamines went down. Therefore, if a patient suffers from both asthma and allergic rhinitis, Xolair can be helpful.