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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

#81
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 i…

Hi,

Would you mind telling me what immunotherapy you get, specifically for cats? I'm currently on Grazax for grasses etc. I would love to be able to get a cat, but I am quite allergic and get flu-like symptoms after a while. (Also, my blood tests don't show that I'm allergic to cats, so that complicates things).

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

#82
post #61
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

maybe you're just allergic to glyphosate, not wheat. glyphosate is in pretty much everything now

This might be true for people in general, but people who have been diagnosed with Celiac disease are definitely allergic to wheat.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/ "Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance"

Here, we propose that glyphosate is the most important causal factor in this [celiac disease and gluten intolerance] epidemic.

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

#83
post #8

I've been following this closely. I'm most interested in Xolair (and another one, Dupixent) as a way to make oral immunotherapy (OIT) safer and more effective. Xolair can reduce reactions for sure, but it can't get people to the point where they can actually eat normal serving sizes of their food allergens. Oral immunotherapy can do that. And Xolair is a twice monthly injection. Nobody wants to do that for the rest o…

I’ve been on Dupixent and have a large number of allergies. 100% helped eczema. I used to have it to the point all my fingers were split in 5-8 places and I’d rate the pain scale at 8-9/10 (10 being arm cut off). I used to get blisters under the skin that’d combine and basically just peal off the skin - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dyshidrosis/s... Anyway, Dupixent made it entirely go away. I also f…

I had the exact same experience.

I'm on Dupixent indefinitely for eczema, which it cures 100%. As a side effect, it 100% cured my seasonal hay fever and reduced many of my food allergies to a level, where I can just eat the food and ignore the very slight allergic reaction that remains.

For me, the entire field of monoclonal antibody therapy is pure magic. Absolutely amazing how well it works, a true silver bullet (with home injections twice a month and eye drops for the dry eyes).

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

#84
So Xolair can cause anaphylaxis at any point in time, even if it didn't cause it initially.

Is accidental exposure to these food allergens so common, even after being careful, that those at risk are willing to take that risk and spend the cost?

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

#85
post #78

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.

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.

I am doing the same and if it was for the rest of my life I wouldn't have started. The burden is just too high to justify it for my level of allergies. I'm kind of regretting it even though it did cure my allergies, I kept getting injection site reactions and having to go through up dosing repeatedly. It's a sunk cost now though.

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

#86
Xolair (omalizumab) is already approved in my country, however, there is some risk of cancer developing ( _its use has been recently linked to potential increased cancer risk_ ), and having been informed about it, I decided that my allergy is not as bad, to try it out, at least at the moment

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

#87
post #42

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…

> staff at food places can be sometimes less than reliable about food allergy concerns As someone with Celiac disease, who often eats at restaurants, this is a bit of an understatement. Even in restaurants where things are marked allergen free on the menu, it is often the case that staff will make mistakes. More often than not, staff aren't even informed about the basics of food, things like eggs and dairy being two…

Celiac is life threatening as far as I know.

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

#88
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> staff at food places can be sometimes less than reliable about food allergy concerns As someone with Celiac disease, who often eats at restaurants, this is a bit of an understatement. Even in restaurants where things are marked allergen free on the menu, it is often the case that staff will make mistakes. More often than not, staff aren't even informed about the basics of food, things like eggs and dairy being two…

Our daughter is allergic to a few things,nuts being one of them. When we ask for food information at restaurants, often staff have no clue. We had cases where they couldn't confirm for sure even after checking with the kitchen( we walked away).

I'm sorry, but why would you expect someone to know all of the food ingredients on the menu - even if they work there - if they don't personally prepare all of the foods? Heck, in the US, most of the places aren't even paying their staff a decent wage.

Servers go by the menu as well. It isn't like there is a list most places.

If the owners cared about your allergies, they'd make sure their staff could find out easily. Blame the folks that own the place, not the servers.

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

#89

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…

Hypo-sensitization treatments for pollen last for ~3 years and have effects lasting years.

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

#90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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. Seems better than dying of anaphylaxis but what do I know.

The risk of dying from anaphylaxis is almost universally exaggerated. There is a lot of fearmongering about it, especially for parents. The truth is, even for food allergic people, the risk of death is low compared to other causes. EpiPens are very effective. Also, anaphylaxis is a very temporary condition. If you do get anaphylaxis then after a very short recovery period there are zero long term effects to worry abo…

Yes but that's not the full story... .It's true that the odds of dying from anaphylaxis are low, IF treated in time.

The sad thing is that the vast majority of all deaths from allergic reactions are preventable.

Things like not acting immediately and injecting Epipen in the first few minutes, not following up with a 2nd shot if no improvement in 15min. Having expired pens. Kids grow, and need larger pens. Teacher panics and uses pen upside down. Kids try foods as a teen or when they leave home as they "used to be allergic"

As the parent of an Parent of anaphylactic 7 year old - the fear is real. Low odds, but catastrophic outcome.

We are lucky that my partner is a nurse and we are knowledgable and manage places we go, but daycare, schools, birthday situations etc are a worry

*edited - typo

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