Managing food allergies – yours or for someone you love – can feel like a full-time job in its own right. It can feel overwhelming. It can be frustrating. Every time you think you have a handle on things, someone changes their manufacturing process or tweaks a recipe and now you’re back to square one in the challenge of finding safe staples for the family diet.
The holiday season, starting this week with Thanksgiving, can bring its own special set of challenges from social gatherings to navigating traditions to potlucks and cookie exchanges. During this stretch in particular, it can be easy to feel more stressed than sanguine. And yet, this season is also prime time to take a step back and look at the big picture, to take it all in, and celebrate with gratitude the good things in our life. Pull up a bowl of dairy-free mashed potatoes or wheat-free, egg-free, dairy-free stuffing, and keep reading.
FDA Approves Xolair
In February 2024 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Xolair as a medication to help mitigate the risk of allergic reactions from accidental exposure. This isn’t a cure, but it is exciting. People who take this medication will need to continue reading labels, making food choices to avoid their allergens, and carrying an epinephrine auto-injector. However, clinical trials of Xolair showed a reduction in allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, that might occur with accidental exposure to study participants' allergens.
As explained by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, “Results showed that nearly 67% of participants who completed treatment with omalizumab could consume about 2.5 peanuts (600mg) without a moderate or severe allergic reaction, in contrast with less than 7% of participants who received placebo.” The study produced similar results with other allergens.
Food allergy patients should consult their board-certified allergist to see if they are a candidate for treatment with Xolair, a drug that has been used since 2003 for severe persistent allergic asthma.
State Legislation
Several states passed legislation this year that the food allergy community can be grateful for. Delaware, as example, took heed of the LEAP study and will now provide all Delaware parents and guardians, including those on Medicaid, with at least one peanut and one egg infant-safe food allergen supplement at no cost with the intent to reduce the risk of infants (age 4-6 month) developing allergies.
Further north, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health updated requirements to ensure restaurants have at least one food allergy trained employee on duty at all times. Maryland passed Elijah’s Law, which ensures childcare providers take steps to properly manage food allergies for children in their care. The law was passed previously in New York, Virginia, and Connecticut. New York State passed laws to require access to epinephrine auto-injectors at all large venues throughout the state, as well as a price cap on the cost of EpiPens.
Inhaled Treatment Option Approved
Research has proven over and over that the delayed administration of epinephrine in response to a potential anaphylactic reaction can increase the risk of hospitalization and death. Until recently, an injection was a patient’s only option to administer a dose of epinephrine. Fear of administering or receiving a shot has led some to avoid or delay treatment.
In August, the FDA approved Neffy, an epinephrine nasal spray, for treatment of allergic reactions. This new delivery system is an important step in ensuring greater access AND use of life-saving medication.
Uber Eats Makes Ordering With Allergies Easier
Sometimes you just want to order in and call it a day. Food allergies can complicate things, of course. You can’t just scroll and order whatever strikes your fancy. You’ve got to do your due diligence – can this eatery manage my needs? Does this recipe contain something I can’t have? In May, Uber Eats updated its app to make things a little easier for allergic users.
A new set of allergy features helps users identify what shops can accommodate food allergies (or which can’t), a dedicated section to include allergy requests, and the ability to call the restaurant directly to discuss food allergies.
Flying A Bit Safer
In 2024, Congress recently passed (and the President signed) the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The bill itself addresses a wide range of passenger safety issues. Among them, however, is a clause that requires the FAA to consider whether in-flight emergency medical kids include appropriate medications and equipment to treat anaphylaxis.
In other words, we’re moving one step closer to stock-epinephrine requirements for consumer aviation. You can read more on this subject in a recent Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America update.
