We all know what it means to live with the threats of an allergy. There are hundreds of thousands of people living with life-threatening food allergies, which are more often than not reliable treatments. Aimmune Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:AIMT) has embraced a mission of developing and commercializing oral treatments for such allergies through the Characterized Oral Desensitization ImmunoTherapy (CODIT™) approach. The aim is to offer meaningful levels of defense against allergic reactions.
Findings from APPEAL-2 (Allergy to Peanuts ImPacting Emotions And Life-2) Published
APPEAL-2 is the largest cross-sectional, pan-European, qualitative study being carried out by the biopharma. It is evaluating the psychosocial burden of living with peanut allergy (PA), and the findings have been published the official journal of the British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology; Clinical & Experimental Allergy.
APPEAL-2 study, which engaged107 participants, was motivated by the impacts identified in the two-part APPEAL-1 study. They included low levels of confidence, stress, and frustration in managing the reactions of peanut allergy. The impacts were demonstrated in the lives of children, teenagers, and their caregivers.
“Both peanut-allergic individuals and caregivers experience anxiety, worry, sadness, and annoyance, and reported their lives are adversely affected by peanut avoidance, accidental reactions to peanuts, and the fear of reacting to peanuts,” Chief Medical Officer at Aimmune, Daniel Adelman explained.
Uncovered the Opportunities of Reducing the Burden of Coping with PA
Peanut allergy affects over 17 million people in Europe, according to statistics. It is one of the most common allergies, and its dominance has been increasing by the years. Reactions to peanut account for the majority of deaths related to food allergy. Unfortunately, the only known cure is standard care, a strict elimination diet, and timely administration of rescue medications.
However, despite the accidental exposures and unpredictable severity, Aimmune says there is the hope of uncovering opportunities to help those living with the condition cope with it. This includes enhanced education and awareness of both the general public and healthcare professionals. The company is also advocating for meaningful precautionary allergen food labeling from the manufacturers. Meanwhile, Aimmune already has an FDA-approved medicine for peanut allergy.
