Xolair (omalizumab) generated revenues of more than $1.7 million for Roche last year, but the drug has been on the market since 2003 and went off patent in the US and EU last year.

In the phase II trial, ligelizumab showed a clear dose-response effect on CSU symptoms such as swelling in the skin and itchiness, and outperformed Xolair on a number of measures. Overall ...