Treatment With Omalizumab to Improve the Asthmatic Response to Rhinovirus Experimental Infection With Rhinovirus

Asthma Clinical Trial

Official title: An Evaluation of Treatment With Omalizumab to Improve the Asthmatic Response to an Experimental Infection With Rhinovirus

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Population surveys have shown a positive correlation between increased levels of total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and bronchial hyperreactivity. However, it is also clear that exacerbations of asthma are frequently triggered by viral respiratory tract infections, especially those caused by human rhinovirus (RV), also known as the "common cold" virus. This protocol explores the relationship between rhinovirus and allergen/IgE provoked inflammation. Experimental challenges with human (RV) result in more persistent upper respiratory tract symptom scores in asthmatics than in controls. Asthmatics with high levels of IgE also show greater sensitivity to methacholine and higher levels of expired nitric oxide (eNO) than those with low levels of IgE. These data suggest that patients with asthma and high levels of IgE are more likely to have pre-existing inflammation of the airways before virus challenge. This study is being done to determine whether anti-IgE therapy (with omalizumab) will lead to a significant decline in inflammatory biomarkers prior to virus inoculation, and thus reduce the severity of clinical manifestations after an experimental human RV challenge.

Clinical Trial Description

The study is a randomized, double-blind placebo controlled study involving a group of 42 mild asthmatics. Subjects will be randomized 1:1 to omalizumab (a humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody) or placebo for 8 weeks and then inoculated with rhinovirus (strain-16 produced under GMP conditions and approved for this research by the FDA). Clinical and laboratory (mechanistic) data will be evaluated for 8 weeks before and for 4 weeks after the virus challenge.

The study is being done to test the hypothesis that the reduction of total free IgE in asthmatics treated with omalizumab for 8 weeks prior to and during an experimental RV challenge will lead to a significant decline in lower respiratory tract (chest) symptoms recorded by subjects during the first four days of infection following the challenge compared to lower respiratory tract symptoms recorded during the same period by asthmatic subjects who are treated with placebo.

The primary endpoint will be based on the comparison of cumulative lower respiratory tract symptoms scores (CLRTS) in the asthmatic subjects treated with omalizumab compared to those treated with placebo over the first 4 days of acute infection. Diary cards will be scored daily for cough, shortness of breath, chest discomfort and wheezing using a modification of the Jackson criteria. To participate in this study, subjects must live within 90 minutes by car from the University of Virginia.

Note: This protocol has been reviewed and is being monitored for safety by the NIH/NIAID Safety Monitoring Committee and by he IRB at the University of Virginia (IRB-HSR# 14427). ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Asthma

• NCT number: NCT02388997
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Virginia
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: February 1, 2013
• Completion date: May 4, 2017