Top in allergy/asthma: Update on omalizumab; group emphasizes seriousness of food allergy

The FDA approved omalizumab so people with immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergies can build tolerance to allergens, but experts warned that the biologic is not a cure.

“People who are prescribed epinephrine autoinjector devices such as EpiPens (Mylan/Viatris) are typically going to benefit the most from this approval,” Zachary E. Rubin, MD, a pediatric allergist and spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, told Healio. “It is not going to be helpful for other forms of food reactions such as celiac disease, food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome, or eosinophilic esophagitis. It is specifically for IgE-mediated disease.”

It was the top story in allergy/asthma last week.

In another top story, the nonprofit organization Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) convinced Uber Eats to remove a joke about a man with a peanut allergy from its Super Bowl commercial earlier this month. Healio spoke with Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, CEO of FARE, about how physicians can spread the message to the public about the seriousness of food allergies.

Read these and more top stories in allergy/asthma below:

Q&A: FDA-approved omalizumab ‘not a cure’ for food allergy

The FDA has approved Xolair (omalizumab; Genentech, Novartis) for use in building tolerance to accidental ingestion of allergens among patients with IgE-mediated food allergy. Read more.

Q&A: Super Bowl ad indicates need for more allergy education

Black children had higher odds for severe food allergy reactions and ED usage as well as lower total lifetime epinephrine use than white children, according to a study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Read more.

Alpha-gal suspected as trigger in idiopathic anaphylaxis cases

Alpha-gal may have triggered idiopathic anaphylaxis in patients screened at a specialized allergy clinic, researchers said. Read more.

Exhalation delivery system improves chronic rhinosinusitis symptoms

An exhalation delivery system that uses fluticasone reduced symptoms and improved quality of life for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis, results showed. Read more.

Whole exome sequencing finds inborn errors of immunity in children with sepsis

Whole-exome sequencing helped physicians identify undiagnosed primary immunodeficiency diseases in children with community-acquired sepsis, according to a study. Read more.