LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- A 16-week course of a monoclonal antibody, omalizumab, could reduce allergic reactions to multiple foods, according to a new study published Sunday.
An estimated 7.6 percent of children in the United States, roughly 5.5 million kids, have food allergies, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In an NIH-funded clinical trial, nearly 67 percent of participants who completed the antibody treatment could consume a single dose of 600 milligrams (mg) or more of peanut protein, without a moderate or severe allergic reaction, in contrast with less than 7 percent of participants who received placebo.
The treatment yielded similar outcomes for egg, milk, wheat, cashew, walnut and hazelnut at a threshold dose of 1,000 mg protein or more.
This suggests that antibody therapy has the potential to protect children and adolescents if they accidentally eat a food to which they are allergic, according to the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The antibody treatment used in the trial is omalizumab, marketed as Xolair.
On Feb. 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved omalizumab for the reduction of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, that may occur with accidental exposure to one or more foods in adults and children aged one year and older with food allergies. ■
