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Is omalizumab an option for a patient needing a specific antibiotic with an IgE-mediated reaction who continues to have reactions during a desensitization?

1 Answer
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Allergy & Immunology · Scripps Clinic Medical Group
Answered on

Omalizumab is FDA-approved for Asthma, Chronic spontaneous urticaria, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, and food allergy. It is a monoclonal antibody directed at IgE which will deplete circulating IgE and thus specific IgE on the mast cell and basophils will decrease. There is also likely a general effect on mast cell activity as we see a significant improvement in chronic spontaneous urticaria despite this not being an IgE-mediated disease. This question is somewhat broad, and although we occasionally do drug desensitization with antibiotics it is likely that this question is referring to chemotherapeutics where repeated desensitizations are often necessary in patients with presumed IgE-mediated reactions. One common group of ch...

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