First peanut allergy drug wins approval from U.S. regulators and could be a ‘game changer’

U.S. health regulators approved the first drug for children and teenagers with peanut allergies, marking a potential paradigm shift in treatment. The drug will be “a game changer for both food allergy doctors and patients,” according to Christina Ciaccio, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Chicago and an investigator for Palforzia in U.S. studies. The approval is “a defining moment for the entire peanut allergy community” and can “help usher in a new era in the treatment of peanut allergy and, in the long term, for food allergy in general,” Dallas said in a message to Bloomberg News. “Peanut allergy impacts patients and their families on a daily basis and the threat of a severe reaction related to an accidental peanut exposure creates anxiety and interferes with their quality of life,” Dallas said. Credit Suisse analyst Evan Seigerman sees upside for the stock as limited heading into what he called a “challenging commercial story.” Seigerman downgraded shares near the end of 2019, saying there could be “hiccups” in the timing of approval and launch given it is Aimmune’s first commercial drug.