Asthma Drug Helps More Than a Third of Children Overcome Food Allergies in Clinical Trial

There’s been an uptick in food allergies in recent years, but emerging therapies are making headway in treating them. One of those is an injectable asthma drug that helped more than a third of kids in a clinical trial overcome their food allergies.

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After being treated with omalizumab (brand name Xolair) for a year, 36% of kids in the study were able to eat full servings of their trigger foods, which included milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts. In comparison, only 19% of children could consume their trigger foods when given a shorter round of omalizumab followed by months of oral immunotherapy, a treatment method that involves building tolerance by eating gradually increasing amounts of a food allergen.
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“This is the first time we’ve been able to directly compare these two treatments for multiple food allergies, and our study shows omalizumab was superior to oral immunotherapy,” said principal investigator Dr. Robert Wood in a news release.
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Another perk for the millions of Americans with food allergies: “We have demonstrated that there are multiple paths to living a safe life with food allergies,” senior researcher Dr. Sharon Chinthrajah explained, per HealthDay News. She added: “This study is very encouraging because it shows that we have treatment choices for our patients that are safe and not too burdensome.”