Anti-IgE antibody therapy.

From the published studies of E25, it is now clear that this approach to treating atopic disease can be successful. But there remain many issues, both practical and biological. For the study of atopic disease, a potentially excellent new tool has been provided that could allow IgE to be effectively eliminated, given the correct-dosing regimen, and provide the investigator with a means to ask questions about the role of IgE in the expression of a particular disease. No place is this more evident than in the study of asthma for which a long-standing debate revolves around the precise contribution of atopy to the genesis and maintenance of this disease. Furthermore, use of the drug may finally resolve questions about the role of IgE in parasitic rejection. From the perspective of the patient, at a minimum, the drug provides a proof-of-concept for all potential therapies seeking to reduce circulating IgE levels. With proper consideration of dosing, the drug appears as if it could provide remarkable improvement in the course of atopic disease. Some concerns still revolve around the improvement roles IgE may play in parasitic diseases, the cost of therapy, and that very long-term treatment effects have yet to be studied.