Anti-IgE antibody treatments are a newer type of preventive drug therapy used to reduce asthma symptoms caused by allergies. Anti-IgE antibody treatments disrupt the sequence of events that causes an allergic reaction – known as the allergic cascade. The drugs are taken through an injection every two to four weeks and work by stopping the release of histamine, which causes allergy symptoms.

Anti-IgE antibody treatment is available by prescription only. There is currently only one type of anti-IgE antibody treatment available in the United States. Future treatments may someday be available for the treatment of allergy conditions unrelated to asthma, such as allergic rhinitis and food-induced anaphylaxis.

Because they represent a new form of treatment, many people are hopeful that anti-IgE antibody drugs will soon be able to completely prevent allergic reactions from taking place. Today’s anti-IgE antibody treatments are effective at reducing the number and severity of asthmatic reactions, but they do not cure the condition. Most physicians use the treatment in people with moderate to severe asthma, and only when corticosteroid treatments are not sufficient to control asthma symptoms.

Research into anti-IgE antibody treatments is ongoing and many of the long-term side effects of this type of therapy are still unknown. Patients should always discuss this type of treatment with their physicians before use.