Novartis’ allergic asthma and chronic urticarial drug Xolair (ingredient: omalizumab) began to receive insurance benefits from Wednesday.

To be benefitted from the new insurance coverage will be adolescents over 12 and adults, whose symptoms were not controlled even with high doses of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and long-acting beta-agonists (LABA) and long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA).

Pediatric patients ages 6-12 who failed to control their symptoms despite administering high doses of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and long-acting beta-agonists (LABA) will also benefit from the newly applied reimbursement.

Xolair is the first biological product to treat severe asthma, targeting immunoglobulin E (IgE), and receiving insurance benefits.

The eligibility of insurance coverage varies depending on patients’ age.

Patients over 12 will be able to receive benefits only if they had lgE levels above 76 international unit per milliliters before treatment, positive in vitro or skin reaction to perennial atmospheric allergens, the value of forced expiratory volume in one second less than 80 percent of expected number, and acute asthma exacerbations twice in 12 months before the beginning of the therapy.

For kids between the ages of six and 12, the requirements are the same except that the high dose long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) therapy is excluded.

“As the access to the treatment has expanded with the insurance payment, we hope severe asthma patients’ life quality and symptoms to improve by stable and active management of the disease with the biological therapy,” Professor Park Hae-sim of Ajou University Hospital said.