A new drug helps treat both asthma and allergies, a latest study says.
Researchers say that the drug manufactured by Roche Biotech's Genentech called quilizumab, can treat the two health conditions by preventing the body's production of a particular immune system protein that triggers allergic reactions.
Quilizumab targest the blood cells that produce immunoglobulin type E (IgE). IgE levels are generally low. But, in people with allergies, the protein instantly binds to allergens, which leads to the release of inflammatory substances when the body is re-exposed to the allergens.
For the study, the researchers recruited 39 people with allergies and 39 people with mild asthma. They were randomly given quilizumab or a placebo. The researchers were able to measure IgE levels through the participants' bloodstream after they were exposed to their particular allergens.
"The subjects who received the drug not only had a reduction in their total IgE level, it also seemed to block production of new IgE in response to the allergen they inhaled," said study co-author Dr. Jeffrey Harris, principal medical director of immunology, tissue growth and repair for the drug manufacturer Genentech, which funded the study, reports HealthDay.
"This could be very exciting, if it works," commented Dr. Bradley Chipps, an allergist in Sacramento, CA. "It could be even more effective than omalizumab, which binds to IgE after it's produced. This drug tries to keep it from being produced."
Researchers said that they plan to carry out a follow-up study involving 560 people suffering from more severe asthma.
The study was published in the journal, Science Translational Medicine.
