A drug that treats severe allergic asthma remains unavailable to around 50% of Irish patients who need it, due to inequity in the health system here, doctors have warned.

Xolair (omalizumab) is the only GINA (Global Initiative for Asthma)-approved treatment for people with severe allergic asthma that is not currently available to all those who need it in Ireland. Research indicates that those who use the medication are almost 70% less likely to be hospitalised.

This week, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK recommended the use of Xolair for all adults and children who need it. It described the medication as a clinically effective and innovative therapy and an effective use of NHS resources.

However, according to respiratory doctors here, this move simply highlights the inequity in Ireland where many of those who require the drug cannot avail of it.

While it is licensed for use here, it is not currently funded by any HSE scheme.

"It is paid for from local hospital budgets. This means that patients are denied this treatment in parts of the country where hospitals have not included it in their budget," explained Prof Stephen Lane, a consultant respiratory physician at Tallaght Hospital.

He said that this lack of funding ‘impacts negatively on patients and leads to inequalities based on where a patient lives'.

"This inequity should be addressed with immediate effect. Xolair is the only asthma treatment recommended for severe allergic asthmatics at the most severe end of the GINA guidelines, however its use is being severely restricted in Ireland," he noted.

Ireland has the fourth highest prevalence of asthma in the world - around 470,000 people here have the condition, including one in five children. Allergic asthma is the most common type of asthma. About 90% of children with childhood asthma have allergies compared with about 50% of adults with asthma. Inhaling allergens such as pollen, mites or moulds brings on the symptoms associated with allergic asthma.

An estimated 450 people in Ireland are affected by a severe form of this type of asthma.

Oral corticosteroids are the conventional treatment for people with allergic asthma. However, for many of these, their condition remains uncontrolled and they would benefit from using Xolair.

According to Angela Edghill, chairperson of the Asthma Society of Ireland, who has lived with severe allergic asthma for 17 years, Xolair has enabled her to ‘live a more active, normal and well-controlled way of life'.

"For more than a decade I was constantly worried about the possibility of potentially life-threatening asthma attacks, frequent stays in hospital and the on-going impact on my quality of life. I hope that the decision in the UK will pave the way for all eligible patients in my position to access this life-changing drug," she said.

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