Asthma medication also helps with food allergies, according to study
Published: Monday, Feb 26th 2024, 14:00
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According to a new study, an asthma medication that has been used for years also protects people with food allergies from severe allergic reactions. For the study published on Sunday in the US journal "New England Journal of Medicine", the drug "Xolair" was successfully tested in the USA on 118 children who are allergic to peanuts and at least one other food such as milk or eggs.
According to the study, 67 percent of the children tolerated small amounts of peanut protein without any problems after treatment with the drug containing the active ingredient omalizumab. In contrast, only seven percent of the 59 children who were given a placebo remained symptom-free.
The study in ten US clinics was co-funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had already approved "Xolair" for the treatment of allergic asthma more than 20 years ago. It has now also approved it for the treatment of food allergies in adults and children over the age of one. The drug is marketed by the Swiss pharmaceutical companies Roche and Novartis and must be administered by injection every two to four weeks.
"Life-changing"
However, the researchers point out that allergy sufferers who are treated with the drug must continue to avoid allergy-causing foods. Although the drug reduces severe allergic reactions, it does not offer complete protection.
For people who previously had to live in constant fear of suffering a severe allergic shock after consuming even the smallest amounts of allergens, the treatment could nevertheless be "life-changing", said Professor Robert Wood from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who was one of the leaders of the study.
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