Omalizumab: new addition to dermatologic therapy for chronic spontaneous/idiopathic urticaria

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU)/ chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) remains a therapeutic challenge for treating dermatologists, allergologists and general physicians.The recent updated European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) / Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA(2) LEN) / European Dermatology Forum (EDF) and World Allergy Organization (WAO) guidelines 1 recommend second-generation non-sedating antihistamines as the first-line treatment of CSU/CIU and in non-responding cases 4-fold increased dose can be used.However, a certain proportion of patients still remains symptomatic and discontinues these drugs because of side effects.Third-line treatment options for patients who do not achieve complete control of their symptoms with increased dosages of H1antihistamines have included short-term corticosteroids, add-on therapy with cyclosporin, a leukotriene receptor antagonist, or omalizumab.