You may not have heard of the term biologics before, but chances are — you’re familiar with some common biological medications. For example, Botox® is a popular biological medication that’s become a household name.

Mark C. Stahl, DO, and our team at Apex Allergy and Asthma offer a variety of biologics to treat a variety of conditions from asthma to eczema. We want you to know how this cutting-edge treatment can offer you relief from the symptoms of your health condition.

Biologics Explained

Biologics are medications that are derived from living cells, and they can come from things like blood, proteins, viruses, or living organisms. Biologics can be used to treat a wide array of health conditions from autoimmune disorders to cancer.

Biologics are much more complex than most of the pills that are in your medicine cabinet at home. Those are made from chemicals, but biological medications are made from living sources and are typically available as infusions or injections.

What biologics can treat

At Apex Allergy and Asthma, we use biologics including Xolair, Dupixent, Nucala, Fasenra, Cinqair and Tezspire. These medicines specialize in treating the following conditions:

Severe asthma

If asthma affects your quality of life regularly, and you feel like you can’t get your symptoms under control even with several inhalers, you may want to consider adding a biologic in the form of an injection or infusion. We use this to supplement your other asthma medications to help prevent the need for systemic steroids, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations.

Nasal polyps

The typical treatment for nasal polyps is steroid nasal sprays to reduce swelling and inflammation to shrink the polyps. However, these are not always effective. Biologics can inhibit inflammation in your body to shrink polyps and reduce the need for nasal sprays, oral steroids, or surgery.

Chronic urticaria

Having hives constantly (also known as chronic urticaria) can be frustrating and debilitating. When antihistamines are unable to keep outbreaks under control, biologics can help improve your quality of life.

Eosinophilic esophagitis 

Biologics are the first ever FDA-approved treatment for this immune system disorder that is also called EOE. They reduce the swelling and inflammation in the lining of your esophagus when your body encounters an allergen. 

Eczema

If your eczema is severe and hasn’t responded well to other treatments like topical ointments and medications or UV therapy, biological medication may be a viable option for you. Biologics work to reduce eczema by inhibiting the inflammation that causes it.

All of these health conditions — asthma, nasal polyps, chronic urticaria, eosinophilic esophagitis, and eczema — are aggravated by inflammation in your body, which biologics can reduce very effectively.

If you’d like to learn more about biologics and how they can help treat your health condition, contact our team at Apex Allergy and Asthma by calling 210-239-0302 or using our online scheduler to request an appointment with us today.