Xolair

Disease: Asthma (Moderate-Severe)

About the Disease:

Asthma is a condition in which your airways narrow and swell and produce extra mucus. This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. For some people, asthma is a minor nuisance. For others, it can be a major problem that interferes with daily activities and may lead to a life-threatening asthma attack. Asthma can’t be cured, but its symptoms can be controlled.

What makes this unique:

Xolair was the first humanized antibody treatment approved for asthma, and was a new treatment option for moderate-severe asthma patients at the time. Unlike other medications, XOLAIR is specifically designed to treat allergic asthma by working on the underlying cause of allergic asthma. It captures the IgE in the body that may cause symptoms that can lead to an attack.

Through the detection of biological markers (a.k.a biomarkers) , a critical part of personalized health care, Genentech was able to identify a subset of patients who suffered from allergic asthma through: either serum allergen-specific IgE or a skin prick test. Xoliar was also the first molecule where the level of target IgE and PKPD modeling was used to personalize the dosing regimen to each patient.