Study of Efficacy and Safety of Xolair® (Omalizumab) in Chinese Patients With Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

Study of Efficacy and Safety of Xolair® (Omalizumab) in Chinese Patients With Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

A Phase III Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Xolair® (Omalizumab) in Chinese Patients With Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) Who Remain Symptomatic Despite Antihistamine Treatment

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of omalizumab, compared with placebo, as an add-on to H1 antihistamines (H1AH) therapy in adult patients suffering from Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) who remained symptomatic despite H1AH therapy.

This was a randomized, multicenteric, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of omalizumab as an add-on therapy for the treatment of patients of refractory CSU who remained symptomatic despite approved-dosed H1AH treatment. The study consisted of three distinct epochs over 24 weeks: Screening epoch (Day -28 to Day -1), Randomized treatment epoch (Day 1 to Week 12) and Post-treatment follow-up epoch (Week 12 to Week 20). Patients were randomized into three treatment groups (omalizumab 300 mg s.c. omalizumab 150 mg s.c. and placebo) in a 2:2:1 ratio, stratified by latent tuberculosis (TB) status at Baseline (Yes/No). On Day 1, eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive omalizumab (150 mg or 300 mg) or placebo by subcutaneous (s.c.) injection every 4 weeks (on Day 1, Week 4, and Week 8) during the 12-week double-blind randomized-treatment epoch. Patients visited the study center at 4-week intervals. Patients were instructed to stay on the same CSU H1AH treatment at stable dose that they were using during the pre-randomization period during the randomized treatment epoch. They were allowed to use diphenhydramine as rescue medication during all epochs. The last dose of the study drug during the randomized-treatment epoch was administered at Week 8 study visit, however, the last assessment was done at Week 12. After the completion of the 12-week randomized-treatment epoch, all patients entered an 8-week post-treatment follow-up epoch.

patients received a dose of omalizumab 300 mg which consisted of two injections of omalizumab 150 mg vials every 4 weeks (Day 1, Week 4 and Week 8)

patients received a dose of omalizumab 150 mg which consisted of one injection of omalizumab 150 mg vial and one injection of placebo 150 mg vial every 4 weeks (Day 1, Week 4 and Week 8)

patients received placebo which consisted of two injections of placebo 150 mg vials every 4 weeks (Day 1, Week 4 and Week 8)

The severity of the itch was recorded by the patient twice daily in their eDiary, on a scale of 0 (none) to 3 (intense/severe). Baseline ISS7 was calculated 7 days prior to the first treatment date. A weekly score (ISS7) was derived by adding up the average daily scores of the seven days preceding the visit. The possible range of the weekly score was therefore 0 to 21, where 0 is the best score and 21 is the worst score. The complete itch response was defined as ISS7 = 0. Itch (Pruritus) Severity Score Scale: 0 = None = Mild (minimal awareness, easily tolerated) = Moderate (definite awareness, bothersome but tolerable) = Severe (difficult to tolerate)

UAS7 is the sum of the HSS7 and the ISS7 scores. The possible range of the weekly UAS7 score is 0 to 42. A higher urticaria activity score indicates more severe symptoms. A negative change score from baseline indicates improvement.

Hives Severity Score (HSS), defined by number of hives, were recorded by the patient twice daily in their eDiary, on a scale of 0 (none) to 3 (intense/severe). A weekly number of hives score (NHS7) was derived by adding up the average daily scores of the seven days preceding the visit. The possible range of the weekly score was therefore 0 to 21. The complete hives response was defined as NHS7 = 0. Hives Severity Score scale: 0 - None Mild (1-6 hives/12 hours) Moderate (7-12 hives/12 hours) Severe (>12 hives/12 hours)

UAS7 is the sum of the HSS7 and the ISS7 scores. The possible range of the weekly UAS7 score is 0 to 42. A higher urticaria activity score indicates more severe symptoms. A negative change score from baseline indicates improvement. Week 12 responders were defined as patients who achieved an absolute UAS7 ≤ 6 at Week 12. A patient with missing data at Week 12 was imputed as a responder if the patient was a responder at Week 10 and Week 11, otherwise as a non-responder.

UAS7 is the sum of the HSS7 and the ISS7 scores. The possible range of the weekly UAS7 score is 0 to 42. A higher urticaria activity score indicates more severe symptoms. A negative change score from baseline indicates improvement. Complete responders are defined as participants who achieved UAS7 = 0.

The severity of the itch was recorded by the patient twice daily in their eDiary, on a scale of 0 (none) to 3 (intense/severe). Baseline ISS7 was calculated 7 days prior to the first treatment date. A weekly score (ISS7) was derived by adding up the average daily scores of the seven days preceding the visit. The possible range of the weekly score was therefore 0 to 21, where 0 is the best score and 21 is the worst score. The complete itch response was defined as ISS7 = 0. Itch (Pruritus) Severity Score Scale: 0 = None = Mild (minimal awareness, easily tolerated) = Moderate (definite awareness, bothersome but tolerable) = Severe (difficult to tolerate) The ISS7 MID response was defined as a reduction from Baseline in ISS7 of ≥ 5 points.

Dermatology life quality index (DLQI) is a 10-item dermatology- specific health-related quality of life measure. Patients rated their dermatology symptoms as well as the impact of their skin condition on various aspects of their lives. An overall score was calculated as well as separate scores for the following domains: symptoms and feelings, daily activities, leisure, work and school, personal relationships, treatment. Each domain had 4 response categories ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (very much). "Not relevant" is a valid score also and is scored as 0. The DLQI total score is a sum of all 10 responses. Scores range from 0 to 30 with higher scores indicating greater health-related quality of life impairment.

The ISS7 MID response was defined as a reduction from Baseline in ISS7 of ≥ 5 points. Time to ISS7 MID response was the time (in weeks) from the date of the first dose to the date where ISS7 MID response was first achieved during Week 1 to Week 12.

Main Inclusion Criteria: Symptomatic CSU patients with CSU diagnosis for at least 6 months. Patients must have been on an approved dose of an H1AH for CSU for at least the 3 consecutive days immediately prior to the Day -14 screening visit Patients must have documented current use on the day of the initial screening visit Main Exclusion Criteria Clearly defined underlying etiology for chronic urticarias other than CSU (main manifestation being physical urticaria) Other skin disease associated with itch Urticarial vasculitis, urticaria pigmentosa, erythema multiforme, mastocytosis, hereditary or acquired angioedema, lymphoma, leukemia, or generalized cancer

Novartis is committed to sharing with qualified external researchers, access to patient-level data and supporting clinical documents from eligible studies. These requests are reviewed and approved by an independent review panel on the basis of scientific merit. All data provided is anonymized to respect the privacy of patients who have participated in the trial in line with applicable laws and regulations. This trial data availability is according to the criteria and process described on www.clinicalstudydatarequest.com

Bi XD, Lu BZ, Pan XX, Liu S, Wang JY. Adjunct therapy with probiotics for chronic urticaria in children: randomised placebo-controlled trial. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2021 Apr 17;17(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s13223-021-00544-3.