Real-World Characteristics and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Urticaria Initiating Omalizumab in the United States

BACKGROUND: Omalizumab is indicated for the management of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) in patients aged 12 years or older with persistent hives that are not adequately controlled by H1 antihistamines. While its safety and efficacy in CIU patients have been evaluated in multiple clinical trials, real-world use of omalizaumab in CIU has not been well characterized. OBJECTIVE: To assess demographics, clinical characteristics, and treatment patterns of CIU patients who initiated omalizumab to better understand the usage of this agent in CIU management in the real world. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used medical and pharmacy claims data in the United States from the HealthCore Integrated Database to identify patients with CIU newly treated with omalizumab (≥ 4 omalizumab claims within 6 months of the initial claim) between March 21, 2014, and October 31, 2015 (study intake period). The index date was defined as the date of the first claim for omalizumab during the study intake period. Demogra...