Monday June 12, 2006

While you are carrying 'code beeper' as an intensivist, you heard 'code blue in cafeteria'. On arrival you found 36 year old female who was in cafeteria after visiting allergy clinic, where according to daughter she received her 'expensive asthma shot'. While you were resuscitating patient from what appears to be anaphylactic shock, you keep wandering about that 'expensive asthma shot'.


Xolair: Omalizumab (xolair) is the subcutaneous injection treatment for allergic asthma that works by blocking immunoglobulin E (IgE). Anaphylaxis is rare but the tricky part is it may cause anaphylaxis even after months of successful and uneventful treatment. There is an indication in atleast one case report that polysorbate present in omalizumab may be responsible for it 1.

Per month cost of treatment is about 500 - 2000 US $.


Reference: Click to get article

1. Late-Onset Anaphylaxis to Omalizumab Reported - from acep.org site