Joan shared this account after taking Xolair for several years. It describes her personal experience and treatment at that time, not a recommendation for anyone else.
I was diagnosed with Aspergillus niger in 2002. My main problem was severe mucus plugging in my lungs, which meant I needed frequent bronchoscopies—sometimes twice a month. I had tried several treatments, including Sporanox, prednisone, nebulised hypertonic saline, a vest and postural drainage, but the plugs continued.
In 2003, doctors at National Jewish Health in Denver suggested that Xolair (omalizumab) might help, although it was being considered off-label for my condition. My pulmonologist agreed to try it, and I began treatment in April 2005.
At first, I wasn’t sure it was helping. I still needed bronchoscopies, but they became less frequent. My last one was in January 2009. My doctor and I thought Xolair might have made a difference, although it seemed to take a long time.
I also had allergy tests repeated after many years of reacting to grasses, moulds and trees. I no longer reacted to the tests, but I didn’t know whether Xolair had caused that change.
When I wrote this account, I was still using a steroid inhaler. My doctors and I had also stopped Sporanox as a trial, to see what happened.
Joan B
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