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Peanut Allergy: FDA approved the first peanut allergy drug; Find out more
FDA has recently approved the first drug for peanut allergy. Read on to know more about it.
FDA approved the first drug to treat the life-threatening allergy caused by peanuts on 31 January 2020. The therapy known as Palforzia is not a cure for the allergy. But for families and children, who have minimized the daily intake of peanuts, it may offer protection and layer to some extent. Palforzia is considered to be an important test case for the new generation of therapies, which is supposed to change the concept of treatment of food allergies. Aimmune Therapeutics, from where Palforzia comes, has numerous other food allergy treatments in its pipeline.
But on top of everything, allergists have made it clear that the drug cannot be prescribed to every family. It has been approved for children between the age of 4 to 17 to have increasing doses of protein to eventually reduce their sensitivity towards everything that causes allergies. This means patients have to intentionally expose themselves to a substantial reaction under the regime named oral immunotherapy. Some physicians have already tried this oral immunotherapy to desensitize people's allergies from peanuts. Palforzia needs only 890 USD per month, which is about to put every discussion about high drug prices on fire.
But a recent study by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review found no potential evidence of using Palforzia avoiding peanuts or current immunotherapy that uses peanut flour. But the therapy has proven to be life-changing for Giuliana Ortega of Hughesville. She ate peanut butter at the age of two and a half year and started vomiting white foam, which was then combatted by a steroid. Initially, the medicine had some reactions on the girl, but later it was get cured by proper medical treatment. Giuliana has now been taking Palforzia from the age of four by a clinical trial at Children's National Hospital. Now she is completely free from the sensitivity towards peanuts. So, this experience shows us how much effective Palforzia is and why it is not to be prescribed to everyone.
