Szefler SJ, Casale TB, Haselkorn T, et al. - In the present study, the researchers sought to evaluate response to omalizumab treatment among children using indicators of asthma severity. Post hoc analyses of randomized placebo-controlled studies of omalizumab (ICATA, IA05, PROSE) stratified by BMI, eosinophil count, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels, and baseline severity indicators. Poisson regression analysis investigated exacerbation rate reductions for BMI, biomarkers, and severity indicators. Participants in the study were children aged 6-11 years in IA05 (N=576; 56% White, 17% Black, 26% Other/Missing), ICATA (N = 237; 55% Black, 43% Hispanic), and PROSE (N = 342; 59% Black, 35% Hispanic). Trends indicative of greater exacerbation rate change have been observed for low baseline lung function, prior hospitalizations, frequent baseline exacerbations, and high baseline eosinophil count. Findings suggested that omalizumab decreases exacerbations in children with moderate to severe persistent allergic asthma and may be of greater benefit to children with more severe asthma subtypes.