Our Science
Food Allergies
Food allergy is an immune system reaction that occurs soon after eating a certain food. Even a tiny amount of the allergy-causing food can trigger signs and symptoms such as digestive problems, hives or swollen airways. In some people, a food allergy can cause severe symptoms or even a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis. People with food allergies and their loved ones live in fear. Everyone affected is anxious for a solution.
Food allergies affect more people than ever before
In the US Alone
Food allergies come with an increased economic cost
*Based on a 2013 survey of the economic impact of childhood food allergies in the US.
Despite the high and growing incidence of allergic disease, the past few decades have seen few improvements in allergy therapeutics. Currently only one disease-modifying treatment for food allergies has received FDA approval. Outside of that, the only options available to patients are avoidance of the food and the use of emergency rescue medications (emergency epinephrine injection) when avoidance fails.
Oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT)
Harnessing the potential of OMIT
Intrommune has developed a novel drug delivery platform—oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT)—for the treatment of food allergies. Therapeutic agents are embedded in fully functioning toothpaste so that treatment can be conveniently administered during a patient’s daily toothbrushing routine.
OMIT is based on the principle of allergy immunotherapy or “desensitization,” a technique that allergists have used to treat the underlying cause of respiratory allergies for over 100 years. OMIT leverages the unique ability of the lining of the mouth to retrain the immune system (sometimes referred to as “desensitization”) and thus reduce allergic reactions to foods like peanuts over time. Daily use of OMIT toothpaste gradually increases the threshold of allergen that would normally trigger food allergy symptoms – to the point where an allergic person is protected against accidental ingestion of these foods. Research suggests that long-term, daily maintenance therapy is necessary to achieve and maintain this protection. Intrommune’s great-tasting, cavity-fighting OMIT toothpaste makes that easy to do.
