LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A new study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that a course of 16 weeks or more with omalizumab, a monoclonal antibody drug, can reduce allergic reactions to a variety of foods in children aged 1 year and older.
The randomized controlled trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, enrolled 177 children and adolescents between the ages of 1 and 17 and three children between the ages of 18 and 55** who were allergic to peanuts and at least two of several common foods (milk, eggs, cashews, wheat, hazelnuts, or walnuts). **The group received subcutaneous omalizumab every 2 to 4 weeks for 16 to 20 weeks, and the control group received a placebo injection. The results showed that nearly 67% of participants in the ** group were able to consume a single dose of 600 mg or more of peanut protein without moderate or severe allergic reactions after the completion of the injection cycle, compared with less than 7% of the control group.
According to reports, omalizumab works on the principle of binding to immunoglobulin E, the main antibody that causes allergic reactions in the blood, preventing it from triggering key immune cells that cause allergic symptoms, so as to reduce the sensitivity of these cells to allergen stimulation.
On February 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved omalizumab (brand name Xolair) for reducing allergies** and allergic reactions in children 1 year of age and older. However, the drug is not approved for emergency use in the event of an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis**, and people taking the drug should still avoid foods they are normally allergic to.
According to the National Institutes of Health, there are about 76% of children, or about 5.5 million people, have allergies to certain foods. Jenny Marazzo, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the findings suggest that medications can help reduce the risk of allergic reactions to common foods and prevent emergencies caused by accidental exposure to allergic foods.