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FDA approves first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods

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Re: FDA approves first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods

#71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The study lasted 20 weeks, but I believe you have to continue the treatment indefinitely if you want the effects to continue. It's not a permanent fix, and a once or twice monthly injection for the rest of my life is not something I'd like to sign up for.

We can hope it's not for the rest of one's life but only until a better solution is found. For people with deadly allergies, a few years of injections might not be too big of a price, I think.

I am not optimistic. The pace of progress in the field is very slow. Barring an AGI-induced revolution in medicine (not out of the question) I think the chances of curing common allergies in my lifetime are not super high.

Re: FDA approves first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods

#72

Very expensive Not a great side effect profile Not even very effective Yup sounds like medicine in the 21st century. I think we're going to cull ourselves as a species because we're not at all aligned with doing things that actually make people healthier, unless that also happens to make good money.

I've been on the shots for four years with zero side effects. My allergist has put hundreds of patients on it and takes it himself.

Re: FDA approves first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods

#73

It's a 16 to 20 week course of treatment and reduces risk of anaphylaxis for accidental exposure to food allergens. There is at least one other drug that is used to treat peanut allergies, but this treats multiple food allergies. Given that anaphylaxis can be deadly and staff at food places can be sometimes less than reliable about food allergy concerns, I can see this being appealing to someone with severe food alle…

The study lasted 20 weeks, but I believe you have to continue the treatment indefinitely if you want the effects to continue. It's not a permanent fix, and a once or twice monthly injection for the rest of my life is not something I'd like to sign up for.

> a once or twice monthly injection for the rest of my life is not something I'd like to sign up for.

I take this exact drug for not-even-life-threatening allergies and the hassle is really not that bad. It's certainly less annoying than suffering through ragweed season every year :P

Re: FDA approves first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The study lasted 20 weeks, but I believe you have to continue the treatment indefinitely if you want the effects to continue. It's not a permanent fix, and a once or twice monthly injection for the rest of my life is not something I'd like to sign up for.

We can hope it's not for the rest of one's life but only until a better solution is found. For people with deadly allergies, a few years of injections might not be too big of a price, I think.

Why would any of the pharma companies out there want to invent a permanent cure, when there's far more money to be made with a cure that is not permanent? Makes no sense.

A one time customer isn't lucrative.

Re: FDA approves first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods

#75

Very expensive Not a great side effect profile Not even very effective Yup sounds like medicine in the 21st century. I think we're going to cull ourselves as a species because we're not at all aligned with doing things that actually make people healthier, unless that also happens to make good money.

Would you prefer the alternative of the 20th century, where this drug doesn’t exist at all?

The 20th century had far fewer people with allergies as a proportion of the general population

Re: FDA approves first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods

#77

It's a 16 to 20 week course of treatment and reduces risk of anaphylaxis for accidental exposure to food allergens. There is at least one other drug that is used to treat peanut allergies, but this treats multiple food allergies. Given that anaphylaxis can be deadly and staff at food places can be sometimes less than reliable about food allergy concerns, I can see this being appealing to someone with severe food alle…

> It's a 16 to 20 week course of treatment The study refers to checking patients after this many weeks, but my understanding is that you're supposed to keep taking it forever. From NPR: > The medication is not intended for use during an allergic reaction. Instead, it is designed to be taken repeatedly every few weeks to help reduce the risk of reactions over time. 1: https://www.npr.org/2024/02/18/1232304606/fda-appr…

So that's still not terrible, really.

I've been getting allergy immunotherapy for the past 3.5 years (not for food allergies, for stuff like cat, dog, grass, dust mites, etc.), and I have to go for the shots once a month. It's honestly not that big a deal. I only have another 1.5 years until my treatment is over, but if I had to do it for the rest of my life, it wouldn't be the worst thing, given the benefits.

This is of course assuming there aren't any bad reactions to this medicine... didn't read enough of the article or beyond to get that info.

Re: FDA approves first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods

#78

It's a 16 to 20 week course of treatment and reduces risk of anaphylaxis for accidental exposure to food allergens. There is at least one other drug that is used to treat peanut allergies, but this treats multiple food allergies. Given that anaphylaxis can be deadly and staff at food places can be sometimes less than reliable about food allergy concerns, I can see this being appealing to someone with severe food alle…

The study lasted 20 weeks, but I believe you have to continue the treatment indefinitely if you want the effects to continue. It's not a permanent fix, and a once or twice monthly injection for the rest of my life is not something I'd like to sign up for.

I do non-food allergy immunotherapy once a month, and have been doing it for the past 3.5 years. I really don't mind going in that often, and the benefits are well worth it to me. I only have to go another 1.5 years before it's common to see diminishing returns for continuing longer, but if I had to do it for the rest of my life, that'd probably be ok.

Re: FDA approves first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods

#79
post #4

Somewhat related, I am allergic to an assortment of fruits and vegetables (celery, carrots, watermelon, cantaloupe, bananas, etc…). Most of my food allergies are related to Oral Allergy Syndrome. I’ve been taking Flonase now for more than a year for sinus congestion from allergies, and my food allergies have all but gone away. It has been great being able to enjoy these foods without my mouth, throat, and ears itchin…

I've been taking fluticasone propionate (which Flonase is) as a nasal spray nightly, and it's completely stopped me snoring and cured sleep apnea that previously I needed a CPAP machine for. Great stuff.

Is that the stuff that you can have withdrawal from? I remember after using a nasal spray when sick, if I used it too much for a week, the next two weeks id get really clogged up.

Re: FDA approves first medication to reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods

#80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been taking fluticasone propionate (which Flonase is) as a nasal spray nightly, and it's completely stopped me snoring and cured sleep apnea that previously I needed a CPAP machine for. Great stuff.

Is that the stuff that you can have withdrawal from? I remember after using a nasal spray when sick, if I used it too much for a week, the next two weeks id get really clogged up.

I didn't think so, and I've also not found that in practice, having definitely run out of it before
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