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  • Xolair 150 mg
    / Novartis


    Active Ingredient
    Omalizumab 150 mg

    Status in Israel
    RX

    Presentation and Status in Health Basket

    Presentation Basket Yarpa Pharmasoft

    Vial

    1 X 150 mg

    partial basket chart 13355 24043

    Related information


    Dosage

    Allergic asthma: The appropriate dose and frequency of Xolair is determined by baseline IgE (IU/mL), measured before the start of treatment, and body weight (kg). Prior to administration of the initial dose, patients should have their IgE level determined by any commercial serum total IgE assay for their dose assignment. The maximum recommended dose is 600 mg omalizumab every two weeks.
    Severe Asthma: see prescribing information.
    Moderate Asthma: see prescribing information.
    Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU): The recommended dose is 300 mg by subcutaneous injection every four weeks. Prescribers are advised to periodically reassess the need for continued therapy.
    Special populations
    Elderly (65 years of age and older): There are limited data available on the use of Xolair in patients older than 65 years but there is no evidence that elderly patients require a different dose from younger adult patients.
    Renal or hepatic impairment: There have been no studies on the effect of impaired renal or hepatic function on the pharmacokinetics of omalizumab. Because omalizumab clearance at clinical doses is dominated by the reticular endothelial system (RES) it is unlikely to be altered by renal or hepatic impairment. While no particular dose adjustment is recommended for these patients, Xolair should be administered with caution.
    Paediatric population: The safety and efficacy of Xolair in pediatric patients below the age of 12 have not been established.
    Method of administration: For subcutaneous administration only. Do not administer by the intravenous or intramuscular route. The injections are administered subcutaneously in the deltoid region of the arm. Alternatively, the injections can be administered in the thigh if there is any reason precluding administration in the deltoid region.
    For full details see prescribing information.


    Indications

    Allergic asthma: indicated for patients 12 years of age and older with moderate to severe persistent asthma who have a positive skin test or in vitro reactivity to a perennial aeroallergen and whose symptoms are inadequately controlled with inhaled corticosteroids. Xolair has been shown to decrease the incidence of asthma exacerbations in these patients.
    Limitations of use: Xolair is not indicated for the relief of acute bronchospasm or status asthmaticus. Xolair is not indicated for the treatment of other allergic conditions.
    Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU): Xolair is indicated as add-on therapy for the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria in adult and adolescent (12 years and above) patients with inadequate response to H1 antihistamine treatment.


    Contra-Indications

    Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.


    Special Precautions

    General: Xolair is not indicated for the treatment of acute asthma exacerbations, acute bronchospasm or status asthmaticus. Xolair has not been studied in patients with hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome or allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis or for the prevention of anaphylactic reactions, including those provoked by food allergy, atopic dermatitis, or allergic rhinitis. Xolair is not indicated for the treatment of these conditions. Xolair therapy has not been studied in patients with autoimmune diseases, immune complex-mediated conditions, or pre-existing renal or hepatic impairment. Caution should be exercised when administering Xolair in these patient populations. Abrupt discontinuation of systemic or inhaled corticosteroids after initiation of Xolair therapy is not recommended. Decreases in corticosteroids should be performed under the direct supervision of a physician and may need to be performed gradually.
    Immune system disorders
    Allergic reactions type I: Type I local or systemic allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock, may occur when taking omalizumab, also with onset after a long duration of treatment. Most of these reactions occurred within 2 hours after the first and subsequent injections of Xolair but some started beyond 2 hours and even beyond 24 hours after the injection. Therefore medicinal products for the treatment of anaphylactic reactions should always be available for immediate use following administration of Xolair. Patients should be informed that such reactions are possible and prompt medical attention should be sought if allergic reactions occur. A history of anaphylaxis unrelated to omalizumab may be a risk factor for anaphylaxis following Xolair administration. Antibodies to omalizumab have been detected in a low number of patients in clinical trials . The clinical relevance of anti-Xolair antibodies is not well understood.
    Serum sickness: Serum sickness and serum sickness-like reactions, which are delayed allergic type III reactions, have been seen in patients treated with humanised monoclonal antibodies including omalizumab. The suggested pathophysiologic mechanism includes immune-complex formation and deposition due to development of antibodies against omalizumab. The onset has typically been 1-5 days after administration of the first or subsequent injections, also after long duration of treatment. Symptoms suggestive of serum sickness include arthritis/arthralgias, rash (urticaria or other forms), fever and lymphadenopathy. Antihistamines and corticosteroids may be useful for preventing or treating this disorder, and patients should be advised to report any suspected symptoms.
    Churg-Strauss syndrome and hypereosinophilic syndrome: Patients with severe asthma may rarely present systemic hypereosinophilic syndrome or allergic eosinophilic granulomatous vasculitis (Churg-Strauss syndrome), both of which are usually treated with systemic corticosteroids.
    In rare cases, patients on therapy with anti-asthma medicinal products, including omalizumab, may present or develop systemic eosinophilia and vasculitis. These events are commonly associated with the reduction of oral corticosteroid therapy. In these patients, physicians should be alert to the development of marked eosinophilia, vasculitic rash, worsening pulmonary symptoms, paranasal sinus abnormalities, cardiac complications, and/or
    neuropathy. Discontinuation of omalizumab should be considered in all severe cases with the above mentioned immune system disorders.
    Parasitic (helminth) infections: IgE may be involved in the immunological response to some helminth infections. In patients at chronic high risk of helminth infection, a placebo-controlled trial in allergic patients showed a slight increase in infection rate with omalizumab, although the course, severity, and response to treatment of infection were unaltered. The helminth infection rate in the overall clinical programme, which was not designed to detect such infections, was less than 1 in 1,000 patients. However, caution may be warranted in patients at high risk of helminth infection, in particular when travelling to areas where helminthic infections are endemic. If patients do not respond to recommended anti-helminth treatment, discontinuation of Xolair should be considered.


    Side Effects

    Allergic asthma: During clinical trials in adult and adolescent patients 12 years of age and older, the most commonly reported adverse reactions were headaches and injection site reactions, including injection site pain, swelling, erythema, and pruritus. Most of the reactions were mild or moderate in severity.
    Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU): Common: Sinusitis, Headache, Arthralgia, Injection site reaction, Upper respiratory tract infection.
    For full details see prescribing information.


    Drug interactions

    Since IgE may be involved in the immunological response to some helminth infections, Xolair may indirectly reduce the efficacy of medicinal products for the treatment of helminthic or other parasitic infections. Cytochrome P450 enzymes, efflux pumps and protein-binding mechanisms are not involved in the clearance of omalizumab; thus, there is little potential for drug-drug interactions. Medicinal product or vaccine interaction studies have not been performed with Xolair. There is no pharmacological reason to expect that commonly prescribed medicinal products used in the treatment of asthma or CSU will interact with omalizumab.
    Allergic asthma: In clinical studies Xolair was commonly used in conjunction with inhaled and oral corticosteroids, inhaled short-acting and long-acting beta agonists, leukotriene modifiers, theophyllines and oral antihistamines. There was no indication that the safety of Xolair was altered with these other commonly used anti-asthma medicinal products. Limited data are available on the use of Xolair in combination with specific immunotherapy (hypo-sensitisation therapy). In a clinical trial where Xolair was co-administered with immunotherapy, the safety and efficacy of Xolair in combination with specific immunotherapy were found to be no different to that of Xolair alone.
    Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU): In clinical studies in CSU, Xolair was used in conjunction with antihistamines (anti-H1, anti-H2) and
    leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs). There was no evidence that the safety of omalizumab was altered when used with these medicinal products relative to its known safety profile in allergic asthma. In addition, a population pharmacokinetic analysis showed no relevant effect of H2 antihistamines and LTRAs on omalizumab pharmacokinetics.
    Paediatric population: Clinical studies in CSU included some patients aged 12 to 17 years taking Xolair in conjunction with antihistamines (anti-H1, anti-H2) and LTRAs. No studies have been performed in children under 12 years.


    Pregnancy and Lactation

    Pregnancy: Xolair should not be used during pregnancy unless clearly necessary.
    Lactation: It is unknown whether omalizumab is excreted in human milk. A risk to the newborns/infants cannot be excluded. Omalizumab should not be given during breast-feeding.


    Overdose

    Maximum tolerated dose of Xolair has not been determined. Single intravenous doses up to 4,000 mg have been administered to patients without evidence of dose-limiting toxicities. The highest cumulative dose administered to patients was 44,000 mg over a 20-week period and this dose did not result in any untoward acute effects. If an overdose is suspected, the patient should be monitored for any abnormal signs or symptoms. Medical treatment should be sought and instituted appropriately.


    Important notes

    Storage: Store in a refrigerator (2°C – 8°C). Do not freeze. After reconstitution: The chemical and physical stability of the reconstituted medicinal product have been demonstrated for 8 hours at 2°C to 8°C. From a microbiological point of view, the medicinal product should be used immediately after reconstitution. If not used immediately, in-use storage times and conditions prior to use are the responsibility of the user and would normally not be longer than 8 hours at 2°C to 8°C or 2 hours at 25°C.
    For full details see prescribing information.


    Manufacturer
    Novartis Pharma Stein AG Switzerland
    Licence holder
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