Study Finds Common Medication Could Help Overcome Childhood Allergies

A drug used to treat asthma and chronic hives has been found to provide some protection for children suffering from severe food allergies, NBC News reports. It might even allow them to eat foods such as peanuts, eggs, and other items that typically trigger allergic reactions.

Results of a clinical trial conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease found that Omalizumab (Xolair) “significantly increased” the amount that children with multiple food allergies could eat compared to those who received placebo injections.

Scientists profiled several hundred people ages one to 17, as well as three adults between the ages of 18 and 25, who all had confirmed allergies to peanuts and at least two more common foods.

“Study participants who received Omalizumab injections could consume higher doses of peanut, egg, milk, and cashew without allergic reactions than participants who received placebo injections,” according to the report.

“The major advantage of this medication is that it will cover more than one food and that it has been around for about two decades and we know its safety profile, which is pretty good,” Dr. Alkis Togias, who heads the allergy, asthma, and airway biology branch of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told NBC.

NIAID and Genentech announced on December 19 that the FDA was fast-tracking the approval of Omalizumab for use against food allergies. The USDA estimates that two percent of adults and nearly four to eight percent of American children suffer from food allergies. According to Togias, roughly 40 percent of those people are allergic to multiple foods.

Currently, Omalizumab is prohibitively expensive and difficult to get a prescription for. Experts are hopeful that an FDA approval will ease insurance woes and increase availability, but a much larger clinical trial will need to take place before any decision is made.

Omalizumab’s approval would “make life simpler for both doctors and patients,” pediatric allergy expert Dr. Joyce Yu told NBC. “This would be a helpful option for parents who feel stuck between a rock and a hard place,” she said.