Abstract:
This paper will review the article “For Children With Peanut Allergies, F.D.A. Experts Recommend a New Treatment” in The New York Times issued on September 13, 2019. It will talk about the 1.2 million American children who are allergic to peanuts. This allergy is believed to cause more deaths than any other food allergy. It will further explain how children generally do not outgrow peanut allergies so throughout their lives they must avoid peanuts, peanut oil and food that are contaminated with traces of peanuts. Talked about in this review is a drug called Palforzia, which is a new drug that does not cure this condition, but can reduce life- threatening reactions. Findings for this new drug showed that this treatment is not always effective and it does include side effects and will be further explained in this review. This review touches on the findings of this new drug and its importance.
In the article “For Children With Peanut Allergies, F.D.A. Experts Recommend a New Treatment” in The New York Times issued on September 13, 2019 , the 1.2 million American children that have peanut allergies, (Food and Drug Administration) F.D.A experts recommend a new treatment. The article also talks about Palforzia being new drug that does not cure the condition but can help reduce life threatening reactions. The article also talks about how the medication is one of the most important unmet needs of medicine. The medication however, does not always work effectively and is accompanied by , sometimes, severe side effects. Evidence shows that two-thirds of the 372 children in the trial were able to tolerate at least 600 milligrams of peanut protein- the equivalent of two peanuts- without having an allergic reaction.
The drug consists of peanut flour. It is measured accurately and packed into capsules of different dosages that can be opened easily and mixed with food. The dosage it starts off at is three milligrams going up to three hundred milligrams. In order for the individual to retain tolerance they would need to continue taking this drug possibly indefinitely.
Palforzia, is one of the most important unmet needs of medicine. The F.D.A recommended approval of the first-ever drug to help treat peanut allergies. This condition frightens families across the country. The drug’s goal “is not to cure the allergy, but to reduce the risk that an accidental exposure to small amounts of peanut will set off a life- threatening reaction. It might also relieve some of the fear and anxiety many families experience as they struggle to cope with a child’s severe peanut allergy” stated by Roni Caryn Rabin in The New York Times issued on September 13, 2019. The medication has an enormous demand among patients and their families. “Until now, patients with life-threatening peanut allergies had no options but avoidance” said Dr. Sandra Hong in The New York Times issued on September 13, 2019, an allergist at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Hong adds that “ it is an exciting step for patients and their families who live in constant worry about coming in contact with even the slightest amount of peanut.” Many young children suffered many severe reactions due to accidental interactions such as Tessa Grosso a 16 year old from Menlo Park, California. She states that “before I was treated… I couldn’t go to anyone’s house, and a crumb of something on my hands could have killed me. At one point, a glass of milk spilled on my hand and I went into anaphylactic shock and almost died “.( The New York Times issued on September 13, 2019) This medication will allow individuals like Grosso to be able to live freely.
The medication does not always work effectively and is accompanied by ,sometimes, severe side effects. “One in five children who were treated stopped because of side effects; fourteen percent experienced severe allergic reactions, double the percentage in a comparison group receiving a placebo” stated by Roni Caryn Rabin in The New York Times issued on September 13, 2019. This medication also comes under certain conditions. The F.D.A will only allow patients who agree to carry epinephrine with them at all times to be prepared for any sudden allergic reactions. Patients will have to be given the increased dosage at a medical facility capable of treating allergic reactions.
A trial that tested out this new drug was published in the The New England Journal of Medicine found that after a year, two- thirds of the 372 children who received the medicine were able to tolerate at least 600 milligrams of peanut protein without having an allergic reaction. Throughout these procedures, it was revealed that several of the treated children developed eosinophilic esophagitis which is an inflammatory disease of the esophagus that gets triggered by exposure to an allergen.
This drug has great potential and is and will continue to shape scientific knowledge with a few adjustments and more trials. More trials have to be done to be able to secure the patients and guarantee a positive severe effect with no doubts.
References:
Rabin, Roni Caryn. “For Children With Peanut Allergies, F.D.A. Experts Recommend a New Treatment.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Sept. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/09/13/health/peanut-allergy-children.html?searchResultPosition=4.
