Oral Immunotherapy to Treat Food Allergies

About 72% of people in US household who had food allergies were not aware of the oral immunotherapy treatment (OIT) finds a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Oral Immunotherapy (OIT)
In this therapy the patients are administered an increased amount of allergen that will increase the threshold and trigger a reaction. It is a safe and effective treatment.

Food allergy is a major concern in the U.S; approximately 8% of children and 10% adults are affected. The present food allergy management involves avoidance of allergic food and ready access to epinephrine. Food allergy imposes great challenge on families and it impairs the quality of life, financial burdens, and life threatening anaphylaxis (allergic reaction) due to accidental ingestion.

In 2020 FDA approved Palforzia (An oral immunotherapy drug that is made from peanut flour) to treat peanut allergies in patients between 4-17 years of age.

According to Ruchi Gupta- food allergy researcher at Lurie children’s hospital “With the ongoing expansion of oral immunotherapy offerings and additional therapies on the horizon, it is important to ensure equitable access to all treatments for food allergy.” “The latest epidemiological data indicates that approximately half of US food-allergic children are either Black, Hispanic/Latinx, or multi-racial, populations which have historically encountered greater barriers to specialty care owing to lower socioeconomic status. It is critical that we reach these children and create greater awareness of oral immunotherapy, so that they too can benefit from recent advances in food allergy treatments.”

The survey was conducted on 781 people from 50 states who had food allergy. The main aim of the study was to understand the barriers patients faced to get the proper treatment for food allergy and to address their need.

Source: Medindia