Xolair (Omalizumab) for COPD

Overview
Xolair is a prescription medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for use in people age 6 and older with moderate to severe asthma that is not controlled adequately with an inhaled corticosteroid. Xolair may be prescribed in cases where there are positive results to a skin test for airborne allergens. Xolair is also known by its drug name, Omalizumab.

Xolair is an immunomodulator, or in other words, a drug that modulates the immune system. It is considered a biologic. Xolair is a genetically engineered antibody, or protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize substances.

In some people with allergic asthma, the body makes too much of a protein called immunoglobulin E (IgE) that reacts with allergens to cause allergic reactions. Xolair is believed to work by neutralizing IgE and blocking the protein from causing allergic reactions.

How do I take it?
Xolair is administered by subcutaneous injection every two or four weeks.

Xolair is available as a prefilled syringe.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for Xolair lists common side effects including dizziness, headache, fatigue, earache, rash, itching, cold symptoms, joint pain, leg pain, arm pain, bone fractures, ear infections, and nosebleeds.

Rare but serious side effects listed for Xolair include life-threatening allergic reactions, severe asthma attacks, serum sickness (a condition involving fever, joint pain, and rash), and may raise the risk for some types of cancer.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Xolair – Genentech
https://www.xolair.com/

Xolair - Johns Hopkins
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/allergy/new/Xol...