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Asthma medication now approved to help with food allergies

CHICAGO (WGN) — For decades, asthma patients have used a drug to help them breathe better. Now, the Food and Drug Administration has given the nod to use that drug to reduce serious reactions from food allergies.

Xolair, the brand name for the drug omalizumab, became the first medication approved to reduce allergic reactions caused by accidental exposure to food triggers. Patients as young as age 1 with allergies can take the drug by injection every two to four weeks, depending on their weight and their body’s response to allergens.

Many people with allergies — and their families — live with constant anxiety about exposure to allergens and often avoid dining out and other social situations.

“To have this protection is going to be life-changing,” said Dr. Robert Wood, director of the pediatric allergy division at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

The full article is available at ozarksfirst.com.

(Story by Katharin Czink, Dina Bair, WGN, found at ozarksfirst.com)

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