Oral Immunotherapy for Food Allergy: Towards a New Horizon.

Author: Evelyne KHORIATY ¹ ; Dale T UMETSU
Author Information

1. Division of Immunology and Allergy, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Dale.Umetsu@childrens.harvard.edu
Publication Type:Review
Keywords: Oral immunotherapy; omalizumab; anti-IgE; xolair; food allergy; desensitization
MeSH: Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Food Hypersensitivity; Humans; Immunotherapy; Prevalence; Public Health; Omalizumab
From:Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research 2013;5(1):3-15
CountryRepublic of Korea
Language:English
Abstract: Food allergy has increased dramatically in prevalence over the past decade in westernized countries, and is now a major public health problem. Unfortunately for patients with food allergy, there is no effective therapy beyond food allergen avoidance, and rapid medical treatment for accidental exposures. Recently, oral immunotherapy (OIT) has been investigated as a treatment for this problem. In this review, we will discuss the progress in developing OIT for food allergy, including a novel approach utilizing Xolair (anti-IgE monoclonal antibody, omalizumab) in combination with OIT. This combination may enhance both the safety and efficacy of oral immunotherapy, and could lead to a widely available and safe therapy for food allergy.