FDA Approves Palforzia, First-Of-Its-Kind Peanut Allergy Immunotherapy
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – About one million children in the U.S. live with peanut allergies.
For some families, it’s a never-ending worry. Now there’s hope to lessen that stress. The FDA just approved the first-of-its-kind immunotherapy treatment.
“For a while it was petrifying,” said 14-year-old Will Brody.
When he was just 4, he understood he had a life-threatening peanut allergy.
“I would barely leave the house,” Will told CBS2’s Vanessa Murdock.
Now 14, Will says his life is changed after participating in a trial for Palforzia.
“When we started this trial at 1/100th of a peanut, Will had reaction. Last May, after completing this study, he was able to consume the equivalent of 13 peanuts in powdered form,” said Joanna Brody.
Palfozia – essentially peanut pulverized with great precision – gets sprinkled over food and consumed. An allergist increases the dosage over time in hopes the intensity of the allergic reaction decreases. The FDA just approved it.
“It’s just increasing the threshold. It’s not a cure, and it’s not taking away the allergy entirely,” said Dr. Scott Sicherer, Director of the Jaffe food Allergy Institute at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
He says the announcement is a big time commitment with risks and won’t work for everyone.
“If you’re someone who’s had multiple reactions to trace amounts, going through this process might make a lot of sense,” he said.
“The price you have to pay for just bringing it out to dinner is nothing compared to the rewards you get from taking the drug,” Will said.
Despite FDA approval, there are still many unanswered questions: When will it be available? How much it will cost? Will insurance cover it?
“The company hasn’t given us exact timelines on how this is going to work,” Dr. Sicherer said.l
“I think it’s really worth investigating,” Joanna said.
The Brodys encourage talking to your allergist, this could work for you too .
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February 04, 2020 at 05:59AM
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