Omalizumab elicits durable response in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

Omalizumab shows favourable efficacy for up to 1 year in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) who had inadequate response to nasal corticosteroids, reports a recent study.

Seeking to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of omalizumab, as well as durability of response, researchers conducted an open-label extension phase of POLYP1 and POLYP2, duplicate phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled trials. During the extension phase, participants received omalizumab with background nasal mometasone for 28 weeks. Efficacy was assessed according to the coprimary endpoints of the Nasal Polyp Score (NPS) and Nasal Congestion Score (NCS).

At week 24, prior to the extension phase, NPS (treatment difference, –0.82; p<0.0001) and NCS (treatment difference, –0.54; p<0.0001) scores were significantly better in those who were treated with omalizumab.

During the extension phase, patients who continued omalizumab treatment continued to show further improvements throughout the observation period, with a mean change of –1.31 points in NPS at week 52 relative to baseline. NCS dropped by 1.12 points at week 52 compared with baseline.

On the other hand, placebo patients who switched to omalizumab during the extension phase saw large improvements in both NPS (–0.19 at week 24 to –0.97 at week 52) and NCS (–0.31 at week 24 to –0.99 at week 52).

“Results from this study reinforce and extend the findings of previous trials showing that omalizumab is a viable longer-term alternative treatment for patients with CRSwNP with inadequate response to nasal corticosteroids,” the researchers said.