Living in Constant Fear of Food Allergies? Here is How Xolair Offers New Hope

Do you or your child live with severe allergies to multiple foods? If so, you already know how exhausting and stressful daily life can be.

Reading every single food label at the grocery store, asking endless questions at restaurants, and carrying constant worry about accidental exposure is incredibly draining.

Managing severe food allergies takes a huge mental and emotional toll on your entire family.

What is Xolair and How Does It Actually Work?

To understand how this medicine helps, we first need to look at how food allergies work inside your body.

An allergy happens when your immune system overreacts to a harmless substance, mistaking it for a dangerous invader.

Doctors call this triggering substance an allergen.

Severe food allergies can trigger a sudden, life-threatening emergency known as anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis requires immediate medical attention and emergency treatment.

Here are the key warning signs of anaphylaxis to watch for:

In the past, strict avoidance was your only defense against these scary reactions.

Even with extreme care, accidental exposures still happened often.

Xolair, which contains the active ingredient omalizumab, was approved to help reduce the severity of these accidental reactions.

Omalizumab works by binding to and blocking a specific immune protein called immunoglobulin E (IgE).

When an allergen enters your body, your immune system normally produces huge amounts of IgE antibodies.

By blocking IgE, Xolair calms your immune system down and prevents the overactive chain reaction.

This means if you accidentally swallow a tiny trace amount of a trigger food, your body is much less likely to experience severe anaphylaxis.

What Do Clinical Trials Say About This Medicine?

Researchers conducted rigorous clinical studies to prove how safe and effective Xolair is for food allergies.

These studies included children and adults ranging from one year to 55 years old.

Every participant in the study had a severe allergy to peanuts, meaning they could not eat even half a peanut without a dangerous reaction.

In addition to peanut allergies, every participant also suffered from severe allergies to at least two other common foods.

The study participants had documented allergies to several common foods:

• Cashews affecting 56 percent of participants.
• Walnuts affecting 44 percent of participants.
• Hen eggs affecting 40 percent of participants.
• Cow milk affecting 35 percent of participants.
• Hazelnuts affecting 13 percent of participants.
• Wheat affecting 11 percent of participants.

During the clinical trial, doctors gave one group of patients real Xolair injections.

They gave the other group a placebo injection that looked identical but contained no active medicine.

After four to five months of treatment, the results were remarkable.

About 67 percent of the patients who received Xolair could safely eat about two and a half peanuts without triggering a severe allergic reaction.

In contrast, only about 7 percent of the placebo group achieved this same result.

Also, patients taking Xolair were able to tolerate higher amounts of their other trigger foods, such as cashews, milk, and eggs, without severe symptoms.

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Important Things You Must Know While Using Xolair

Before starting this treatment and while receiving your regular doses, you must keep several vital safety rules in mind.

Here are key safety practices you must follow:

• Always Carry Your Emergency Medicine: If you have severe food allergies, your doctor will prescribe an epinephrine auto-injector. You must carry this life-saving device with you everywhere you go, even while taking Xolair.
• Xolair is Not for Emergencies: This medicine is taken on a scheduled, long-term basis. It cannot stop an allergic reaction that is already happening.
• Do Not Stop Other Medicines: Never stop taking your other prescribed allergy medicines or change your routine unless your doctor explicitly tells you to do so.
• Report Any New Symptoms: Always inform your medical team about any unusual physical changes or new symptoms right away.

How is Xolair Given and Are There Side Effects?

Xolair is given as a liquid injection underneath your skin every two or four weeks.

Your doctor will determine your exact dose and schedule based on your body weight and the baseline level of IgE in your blood work.

Here is what you need to know about how the medicine is given and its potential side effects:

• First Doses Given in a Clinic: Your doctor will give your first several doses inside a medical office or clinic. This allows medical staff to monitor you closely for any immediate allergic reactions.
• Convenient Administration Tools: Once you and your doctor establish a safe routine, injections may be given using pre-filled syringes or auto-injector devices. Always let your doctor know if you have a latex allergy, as some syringe components may contain natural rubber latex.
• Common Side Effects: The most frequent side effects include mild pain, redness, or bruising at the injection site, as well as low-grade fever or headache.
• Rare Risks: In very rare cases, biologic injections can cause severe hypersensitivity reactions. This is why initial monitoring in a healthcare setting is so important.
• What Happens If You Stop: If you stop receiving Xolair injections, your immune system's sensitivity will gradually return to your baseline levels.

This medicine is not right for everyone.

You should have a detailed conversation with your primary doctor or a board-certified allergist and immunologist to weigh the benefits and risks for your specific situation.

A Note from Dr. Priya Sammani