Phase III study shows Xolair may be more effective with fewer side effects than oral immunotherapy for the treatment of food allergies

Roche has announced new positive data from the OUtMATCH study, which compared Xolair and oral immunotherapy (OIT) for the treatment of one or more food allergies. The study found that Xolair was more effective with fewer side effects than multi-allergen OIT in the first-ever head-to-head trial comparing the two treatment approaches. Xolair is the only US FDA-approved medicine to reduce allergic reactions in children and adults with one or more food allergies. The study met its primary endpoint, showing that 36% of food allergy patients treated with Xolair monotherapy could tolerate at least 2,000 mg of peanut protein and two other food allergens without experiencing an allergic reaction. In contrast, 19% of patients in the OIT group achieved this endpoint. The study also found that serious adverse events, adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation, and adverse events treated with epinephrine were all more common in the OIT group. Preliminary results from Stage 3 of the OUtMATCH study provide early data on introducing allergenic foods into a patient's diet after stopping Xolair. The study found that many patients were able to introduce allergenic foods in dietary form, although success rates were higher for milk, egg, and wheat than for peanuts and tree nuts. Food allergies have been on the rise for the past 20 years, with an estimated 3.4 million children and 13.6 million adults in the US diagnosed with IgE-mediated food allergies. Xolair is designed to target and block immunoglobulin E (IgE), minimizing the release of mediators throughout the allergic inflammatory cascade.