Asthma drug sharply cuts danger from food allergens: US study

Washington - A drug long used to treat asthma can help protect people from dangerous – even fatal – food allergies, a study published on Feb 25 in the respected New England Journal of Medicine found.

The randomised study, funded partly by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tested the drug Xolair (chemical name omalizumab) on 177 children aged one to 17, who were known to be allergic to peanuts and at least one other food such as milk or eggs.

The survey, carried out at 10 US medical centres, found that of the 118 children given the treatment, 67 per cent were able to tolerate a small amount of peanut protein without symptoms, compared with 7 per cent of the 59 participants who were given a placebo.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved the drug’s use for food allergies in adults and children as young as one earlier in February. It was approved more than 20 years ago for use against allergic asthma.

Scientists cautioned, however, that the drug does not mean those who are allergy-prone can completely drop their guard; they must still try to avoid known allergens. But the drug should reduce dangerous reactions.

Xolair is administered by injection every two to four weeks – not easy for those who are needle-averse.

Still, for people who have had to live in constant fear that unwittingly consuming even a trace of an allergen could result in hospitalisation – or worse – the treatment could be “life-changing”, said one of the study’s leaders, Dr Robert Wood of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Severe allergic reactions account for an estimated 30,000 emergency room visits a year in the US.

Xolair is sold by drug companies Roche and Novartis. AFP