A new study led by scientists at Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University has found that the drug omalizumab, commonly used to treat asthma patients, can also protect children from severe allergic reactions due to food allergies. The US FDA recently approved the drug for reducing the risk of allergic reactions to foods.
Omalizumab works by deactivating the allergy-causing molecule in the blood and immune cells. Lead author Robert Wood, Professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, stated, “Patients impacted by food allergies face a daily threat of life-threatening reactions due to accidental exposures. The study showed that omalizumab can be a layer of protection against small, accidental exposures.”
The study included 177 children with multiple food allergies, and two-thirds of them received omalizumab injections while the rest received a placebo over 16 weeks. Results showed that a significant number of patients who took omalizumab were able to tolerate small amounts of allergy-triggering food, compared to those who received the placebo.
Approximately 80% of patients taking omalizumab could consume small amounts of at least one allergy-triggering food without a reaction, demonstrating the effectiveness of the drug in preventing severe allergic responses to food. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and highlight the potential benefits of omalizumab for individuals with food allergies.
The approval of omalizumab by the FDA for reducing the risk of allergic reactions to foods provides a new treatment option for individuals with multiple food allergies. The research conducted by the team at Stanford and Johns Hopkins University sheds light on the potential of omalizumab in protecting individuals from severe allergic responses and improving their quality of life.
