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New Peanut Allergy Drug Shows ‘Lifesaving’ Potential

nytimes.com

11–20 of 48 posts

Re: New Peanut Allergy Drug Shows ‘Lifesaving’ Potential

#11

I'll make sure my kids eat (some) peanuts/peanut products before they develop an allergy.

I suspect that is probably a good idea. When my daughters were babies the advice in the UK was to avoid nut products, which we did, it seems to have changed more recently.

I also wonder if the fact that my wife has a mild nut allergy and therefore avoids nuts would have been a factor, the girls would not have been exposed to nuts in the womb. Just guessing though, ask a doctor.

Re: New Peanut Allergy Drug Shows ‘Lifesaving’ Potential

#12
post #2

> Though only 4.3 percent of children receiving the active drug experienced side effects categorized as severe, compared to less than 1 percent of the children on placebo... So are they saying <1% (ie atleast one) of children on placebo experienced severe side effects?

The placebo group experienced adverse effects that were classified as side effects.

It does not mean necessarily mean that the effects were caused by being given the placebo ("placebo effect").

Re: New Peanut Allergy Drug Shows ‘Lifesaving’ Potential

#13
post #6
post #2

> Though only 4.3 percent of children receiving the active drug experienced side effects categorized as severe, compared to less than 1 percent of the children on placebo... So are they saying <1% (ie atleast one) of children on placebo experienced severe side effects?

It’s because they don’t have a good causality link for adverse effect. If something bad happens, you’re not sure it’s because of the treatment. So in the accounting, you take everything adverse against the treatment, wether it’s the placebo or the medicine under test, and you compare the difference between the two as rate of adverse effect for the medicine under test. And then there is a giant poker game to balance t…

I met someone who worked on the admin side of NHS trials. They said exactly what you posted, anything noteworthy that happens should be reported. If you take the placebo and get hit by a bus outside the hospital, it should be reported. That way if 10% of patients in the study get hit by a bus they have more data.

Obviously a silly example but if things aren't reported because they don't appear to be connected to the study, we don't have the data to analyse at a higher level.

Re: New Peanut Allergy Drug Shows ‘Lifesaving’ Potential

#14
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s because they don’t have a good causality link for adverse effect. If something bad happens, you’re not sure it’s because of the treatment. So in the accounting, you take everything adverse against the treatment, wether it’s the placebo or the medicine under test, and you compare the difference between the two as rate of adverse effect for the medicine under test. And then there is a giant poker game to balance t…

I met someone who worked on the admin side of NHS trials. They said exactly what you posted, anything noteworthy that happens should be reported. If you take the placebo and get hit by a bus outside the hospital, it should be reported. That way if 10% of patients in the study get hit by a bus they have more data. Obviously a silly example but if things aren't reported because they don't appear to be connected to the…

Sometimes participants in clinical trials are shot during the trial, that also gets reported.

Re: New Peanut Allergy Drug Shows ‘Lifesaving’ Potential

#15
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s because they don’t have a good causality link for adverse effect. If something bad happens, you’re not sure it’s because of the treatment. So in the accounting, you take everything adverse against the treatment, wether it’s the placebo or the medicine under test, and you compare the difference between the two as rate of adverse effect for the medicine under test. And then there is a giant poker game to balance t…

I met someone who worked on the admin side of NHS trials. They said exactly what you posted, anything noteworthy that happens should be reported. If you take the placebo and get hit by a bus outside the hospital, it should be reported. That way if 10% of patients in the study get hit by a bus they have more data. Obviously a silly example but if things aren't reported because they don't appear to be connected to the…

The funny thing is that such "irrelevant" data may hint at something real if it happens frequently enough. Like the whole Parkinson's medication with increases urge to gamble as a side effect. That sounds like somebody in a clinical trial making excuses at first glance.

Re: New Peanut Allergy Drug Shows ‘Lifesaving’ Potential

#17

I'll make sure my kids eat (some) peanuts/peanut products before they develop an allergy.

A friend of mine is an allergist at a large Boston hospital, and she suggests changing standards of care to expose kids to their first peanut butter when they're young in the pediatrician's office where reactions could be handled.

Re: New Peanut Allergy Drug Shows ‘Lifesaving’ Potential

#18

I'll make sure my kids eat (some) peanuts/peanut products before they develop an allergy.

Careful with that line of thinking. My son was 6 months old when I gave him a small bit of the peanut butter cookie I was eating. He could have died. I would not wish that experience on anyone.

Re: New Peanut Allergy Drug Shows ‘Lifesaving’ Potential

#19
post #18

I'll make sure my kids eat (some) peanuts/peanut products before they develop an allergy.

Careful with that line of thinking. My son was 6 months old when I gave him a small bit of the peanut butter cookie I was eating. He could have died. I would not wish that experience on anyone.

Early exposure does indeed reduce risk. If your kid already has a severe allergy when they are exposed, obviously it won’t help. Otherwise, it can reduce the likelihood of developing the allergy.

Re: New Peanut Allergy Drug Shows ‘Lifesaving’ Potential

#20
I’m really curious to see how much Aimmune charges for their drug, which the article states is just defatted peanut flour.

Of course, a lot of money went into the regulatory process of running the trials and getting it approved, but I still suspect people will be critical if they charge $15,000 per year for it.

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