American researchers have discovered a drug that could change the lives of allergy sufferers. The latter would be able to prevent or reverse the effects of mild to life-threatening anaphylaxis, whatever the cause.
- The drug was successful in preventing allergic reactions, including severe and life-threatening anaphylactic reactions in mice.
- This is the first time that we have discovered a method capable of preventing anaphylaxis other than avoidance of the allergen.
- In France, between 1997 and 2004, 2,516 anaphylactic shocks were recorded.
When an individual is allergic to a food or a drug, he is not immune to a potentially fatal anaphylactic shock. In fact, serious anaphylactic shock affects one to three people out of 1,000. In Europe, the risk of mortality is estimated at 1 to 5 per million inhabitants. Anaphylaxis is a severe systemic allergic reaction that can occur within seconds or minutes of exposure to an allergen. In most cases, skin signs appear (hives, itching, rashes, swelling of the eyelids and lips, tongue, throat, hands). The patient may also suffer from diarrhea and asthma. Symptoms requiring immediate treatment are a fall in blood pressure below 6, which can lead to loss of consciousness, and edema of the laryngeal mucosa, which can lead to asphyxia. Today, a new scientific advance could well revolutionize the lives of allergy sufferers. According to a study presented on June 2 in the Journal of Clinical InvestigationUS researchers have discovered a treatment that could prevent mild to fatal anaphylaxis from any cause.
In this study, the researchers used a BTK (Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, an enzyme found inside cells) inhibitor approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. These were able to block allergic reactions when tested on human mast cells in a test tube. With the BTK enzyme blocked, mast cells cannot be triggered by allergens and allergic antibodies to release histamine and other allergic mediators.
In order to test the effectiveness of this pill live, the scientists then administered it to a new “humanized” mouse model of anaphylaxis. Result: The drug successfully prevented allergic reactions, including severe and life-threatening anaphylactic reactions, in animals.
“This pill could change and save lives”
This is the first time that scientists have discovered a method capable of preventing anaphylaxis other than avoidance of the allergen. “This pill could literally change and save liveswelcomes Dr. Bruce Bochner, lead author of the study, professor at the Feinberg Faculty of Medicine at Northwestern University (United States). Imagine being able to proactively take medication to prevent a severe allergic reaction.”
Hopefully, these promising results lead to future clinical trials in humans. Ultimately, this treatment could prevent serious allergic reactions. Bochner and his team are therefore considering whether the drug could be reformulated to be added to the EpiPen, which injects epinephrine into a person suffering from an allergic reaction to reverse their symptoms. What’s more, people at risk of allergic exposure to life-saving antibiotics or those about to undergo oral food desensitization could take this pill as a preventive measure, the researcher suggests.
The benefits of skin testing
In the past, several studies had already shown the benefit of the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib for people with allergies. Cancer patients suffering from allergies to cat hair or ragweed pollen had thus seen their skin symptoms disappear by 80 to 90% in one week after taking this drug. The same applies to healthy people with food allergies.
“Skin test inhibition is a kind of surrogate test to find out if the drug is really effectiveexplains Bochner. So a future goal is to give this drug to people who are allergic to food or drugs, show through skin testing that their allergic sensitivity has been blocked by the effect of the drug, and then give them the food or drug. , expecting them to have little or no reaction”he concludes.
In France, between 1997 and 2004, 2,516 anaphylactic shocks were recorded, according to the French Society of Anesthesia and Resuscitation. To inform allergy sufferers and all the people around them about the risks associated with this phenomenon and how to deal with it, the French Association for the Prevention of Allergies (AFPRAL) has therefore launched an information site: Anaphylaxis Emergency. First of all, she recommends that all people with allergies carry a first aid kit at all times. The latter contains adrenaline in the form of a self-triggering pen or EpiPen and often an aerosol of bronchodilator, corticosteroid and antihistamine tablets or syrup. If the allergy sufferer is a young child, the kit is generally kept by the parents while another copy is made available to teachers at school.
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