NICE guidance backs Novartis’ Xolair for urticaria

8 June 2015

The National Institute for Health and care Excellence (NICE), the medicines watchdog for England and Wales, today issued guidance recommending Xolair (omalizumab) as an option for treating severe chronic spontaneous urticaria (also known as hives) in some adults and young people aged 12 years and over.

Xolair, from Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX), is recommended as a possible treatment for people aged 12 years and over with severe chronic spontaneous urticaria if:

a doctor has objectively diagnosed the condition as severe;
the condition has not improved with standard treatment with H₁‑antihistamines or leukotriene receptor antagonists;
the drug is stopped at or before the fourth dose if the condition has not responded;
the drug is stopped at the end of a course of treatment (six doses) if the condition has responded, and is only restarted if the condition comes back; and
the drug is given by a secondary care specialist in dermatology, immunology or allergy.

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