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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first drug to treat people with potentially deadly food allergies.
Xolair, an injection, is now available to adults and children 1 year and older to reduce risk of severe allergic reactions to foods, the FDA announced in a news release. Xolair, the brand name for the drug omalizumab, is intended as a safety measure for allergic reactions to accidental exposures, not immediate emergency treatment.
"We actually have another option for keeping our patients safe and minimizing their allergic reactions to foods, to accidental exposures," Dr. Joyce Yu, an associate professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told USA TODAY. "It's just another avenue to hopefully help them improve the quality of their life."
In 2021, almost 6% of people in the U.S. had a food allergy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated. Exposure to the particular allergenic food can cause life-threatening reactions.
Xolair is classified among drugs known as monoclonal antibodies. Xolair binds to immunoglobulin E, or IgE, an antibody that triggers allergic reactions, to block the body from doing so. About 3.4 million children and 13.6 million adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with IgE-mediated food allergies, based on estimates for 2024, according to Genentech, the California company that received the FDA approval. Genentech, a Roche company, worked with Novartis to develop and promote Xolair.
Xolair, an injection, is now available to adults and children 1 year and older to reduce risk of severe allergic reactions to foods, the FDA announced in a news release. Xolair, the brand name for the drug omalizumab, is intended as a safety measure for allergic reactions to accidental exposures, not immediate emergency treatment.
"We actually have another option for keeping our patients safe and minimizing their allergic reactions to foods, to accidental exposures," Dr. Joyce Yu, an associate professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told USA TODAY. "It's just another avenue to hopefully help them improve the quality of their life."
In 2021, almost 6% of people in the U.S. had a food allergy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated. Exposure to the particular allergenic food can cause life-threatening reactions.
Xolair is classified among drugs known as monoclonal antibodies. Xolair binds to immunoglobulin E, or IgE, an antibody that triggers allergic reactions, to block the body from doing so. About 3.4 million children and 13.6 million adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with IgE-mediated food allergies, based on estimates for 2024, according to Genentech, the California company that received the FDA approval. Genentech, a Roche company, worked with Novartis to develop and promote Xolair.
FDA approves first drug to prevent severe food allergy reactions
Xolair, an injection for food allergy, is now available to adults and children 1 year and older to reduce severe allergic reactions, the FDA announced.
www.usatoday.com
