Medical Minute: New Drug Offers Hope For Managing Severe Food Allergies

Four million people in the U.S. suffer from food allergies that often last a lifetime, with accidental exposure sometimes leading to fatal reactions. However, new medical developments are offering hope.

Anabelle Terry, who once needed to carry an EpiPen everywhere and avoid even sitting near peanut products, is now able to eat nuts—a feat that was unimaginable a few years ago.

“This study really looked at preventing accidental ingestions, preventing anaphylaxis, and just making life a little easier and safer for food allergic children,” her doctor said.

The breakthrough comes from a drug called omalizumab, or Xolair, originally designed to treat asthma.

“The way that omalizumab works is that it binds to your allergy cells and takes them out of circulation,” the doctor explained.

The study showed promising results. Children who previously reacted to even a small fraction of a peanut could tolerate more than two and a half whole peanuts without symptoms.

In the next phase of treatment, patients received omalizumab along with oral immunotherapy. This allowed children like Anabelle to gradually consume nuts without severe reactions.

“After that, she could begin incrementally taking some of the actual nut,” the doctor said.

Now, Anabelle can manage her allergy with just a daily dose of nuts. “I’m good to go. I can live the rest of my life, and I will be a little bit better than I was before,” she said.

Omalizumab gained FDA approval in February for treating severe food allergies and is now available for patients as young as one year old. Parents are encouraged to consult their child’s doctor about this treatment.