Syed Shazhad Mustafa, MD: Advancing Pediatric Peanut Allergy Management

This past weekend, Aimmune Therapeutics presented new data at the American College of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting that detailed the burden of peanut allergy (PA) in affected patients, as well as real-world experiences with Palforzia, a treatment option intended to decrease sensitivity to peanuts over time in pediatric populations.

In an interview with HCPLive, Syed Shahzad Mustafa, MD, the University of Rochester Medicine and Dentistry, spoke of some of the data presented at ACAAI, as well as what physicians and caregivers could do to aid in the adoption of Palforzia therapy.

The discussion began with details on the burden of PA, as well as data from the Peanut Allergy Burden Study.

The Peanut Allergy Burden study examined the real-world impact of PA in 153 adults and 102 adolescents, as well as 382 caregivers of peanut-allergic children.

Of the total number of participants, 6.8% and 24.8% of participants reported being dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied, respectively, with current methods of PA avoidance and prevention.

The dissatisfaction with current therapeutic options led investigators such as Mustafa to further investigate Palforzia.

Palforzia was the first and, to date, only FDA approved treatment for food allergy. In a separate study, dubbed the PALISADES study, the treatment was relatively well-tolerated among the majority of participants.

Though some adverse events were recorded, Palforzia increased the amount of peanut intake it took to elicit a reaction from participants.

“That was highly statistically significant, and in the real world what that translates to is if you have an accidental exposure to peanut in a peanut allergic individual, they will hopefully not have a clinically meaningful reaction,” Mustafa said, “So, this was FDA approved, not quite 2 years ago, and it's an exciting option in the arsenal.”

Mustafa stated that there was still much to learn about Palforzia, though it already had been well studied up to this point and was indicated for pediatric patients 4 to 17 years old.

He also added future studies could focus on longer treatment periods, increased/decreased dosing, safety profile studies over 2 years, and the potential unburdening of peanut allergy in patients.

At the moment, Palforzia is intended to protect patients from having severe allergic reactions and must be coupled with a peanut-avoidant diet.

“Allergist needs to have the family upfront to set expectations because it is a big commitment,” Mustaga said. “But again, it can be very well tolerated and (was) shown to be hugely effective for families who are willing to make that decision.”

To hear more from Dr. Mustafa, watch the video above.