Nestlé: peanut allergy drug gets approval from the EU

(CercleFinance.com) - The European Commission approved the first treatment for peanut allergy, a disease that doubled among children between 2005 and 2015.


The new treatment, named Palforzia and developed by Nestlé's Aimmune Therapeutics, is an oral immunotherapy that is ingested initially in very small quantities, followed by incrementally increasing amounts.

The drug results in the ability to mitigate allergic reactions to the allergen over time.

The European Commission has approved its use in patients aged 4 to 17 years, but treatment may be continued in older patients, in conjunction with a peanut-avoidant diet.

The move comes as food allergies now affect around 17 million people across Europe, with peanut allergy being one of the most common of those.

Health-focused Nestlé said the number of hospital admissions due to severe allergic reactions increased seven-fold between 2005 and 2015.

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