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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

#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 itching.

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

#5
post #3

How would this differ from an epipen?

Well, in the first paragraph:

> Xolair is intended for repeated use to reduce the risk of allergic reactions and is not approved for the immediate emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.

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

#7
From what I read of this, it's very expensive (thousands/mo), requires at least monthly injections at a facility, has a risk of anaphylaxis (so the injections can't be done at home), doesn't eliminate the risk of allergic reactions, and has no off-ramp (so you have to take it forever). Not exactly a silver bullet...

My first thought was that it could be good for kids, who are less good at checking for trace amounts of allergens, but then I saw that it requires injections, which kids aren't so great at.

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

#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 of their life, and if OIT is successful presumably you could stop Xolair after.

Unfortunately neither Xolair or Dupixent has looked super promising in early study results when combined with OIT. But Dupixent in particular is approved to treat one of the possible side effects of OIT, EoE (inflammation of the esophagus), so I'm still hopeful.

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