Anti-IgE and the Treatment of Asthma and Allergic Disease

Airway hyperresponsiveness and reversible airflow obstruction are characteristic features of asthma that may be mediated, in part, by allergic or nonallergic factors. In allergic patients with asthma, IgE plays a major role in the development and regulation of wheezing and the asthmatic response. Furthermore, serum IgE levels have been correlated with airway hyperresponsiveness both in adults (1,2) and in children (3), and cell-bound IgE is a pivotal signal to mast cell activation. Thus, an antibody to IgE should offer another potential target of therapy for both allergic asthma and rhinitis.