Study hives are treatable by asthma drug

Charité: Asthma drug also helps with hives
In a recent study, scientists from the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin have demonstrated that the asthma drug omalizumab is a successful therapy even for skin diseases in the form of induced hives. For those affected, this could bring significant improvements in quality of life.

Certain forms of hives can be treated with the help of the asthma remedy omalizumab (Image: Jürgen Fälchle / fotolia.com)

Hives (urticaria or even nettle fever) are characterized by rash with severe itchy wheals. Different forms of hives are distinguished according to the different triggers. Specific forms include, for example, cold urticaria (urticaria due to cold) and urticaria factitia (hives by touch). The scientists have now tested a new treatment method against these two variants of hives. This relies on the use of the asthma remedy omalizumab. The researchers published their results in the journal "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology".

Cold urticaria and urticaria factitia
"Patients whose skin forms very itchy wheals during cold or friction benefit from therapy with the asthma remedy omalizumab," the Charité reports on the research findings. In two clinical studies at the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, evidence has been found that the active ingredient helps in certain forms of hives - in cold urticaria and urticaria factitia. In these two hives, special physical stimuli such as cold or friction cause the very itchy hives on the skin.

Substantial restrictions due to hives
For example, a patient with cold urticaria can not bathe in the Baltic Sea without running the risk of having an allergic shock and holding anything cooler than room temperature, the researchers report. In patients with a severe urticaria factitia even with slight friction on the skin caused by tight clothing or body contact a tormenting itching. The quality of life of those affected is often severely limited and they have to adjust their social life or career choice of the disease, the experts explain. There is always the risk of an allergic shock.

Use of the drug tested on 92 subjects
The scientists around Professor Martin Metz from the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology at the Berlin Charité have tested the use of the asthma drug in patients with cold urticaria and urticaria factitia in two "investigator-initiated, multicenter, randomized and placebo-controlled trials," the statement said the university medicine. A total of 61 patients with urticaria factitia and 31 patients with cold urticaria were treated with the monoclonal antibody omalizumab over a period of three months, the researchers report.

Occurrence of discomfort completely prevented in some patients
"In order to verify the effectiveness of the treatment, all participants in the study determined the individual threshold for triggering the disease symptoms using objective measurement methods," explain the experts at the Charité University Medical Center. First, before taking the medication, then every four weeks after the first receipt and two weeks after the last dose, a measurement was made. According to the researchers, both diseases showed that omalizumab significantly improved the symptoms. Almost half of the patients with cold urticaria and urticaria factitia were even completely protected from the onset of symptoms after treatment, even after contact with the corresponding stimuli.

Hope for those affected
According to Professor Metz, the current study results show that severely affected patients suffering from inducible urticaria can benefit from therapy with omalizumab. So far, however, the drug is only approved for classic hives, the chronic spontaneous urticaria. "However, the proof of effectiveness in our studies is to be hoped that even patients suffering from cold urticaria and urticaria factitia can in the future receive treatment with the drug," the study director concluded. (Fp)
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