Image by H. Armstrong / Debrocke / ClassicStock via Getty / FuturismDevelopmentsWe could be nearing a cure for those nasty spring allergies — and even allergic reactions altogether.A decades-old asthma medication called omalizumab, which is sold as Xolair, has shown that it can successfully treat seasonal allergies in preliminary clinical trials. Administered as a single injection, it represents a type of treatment using lab-made proteins known as monoclonal antibodies, which can cut off your body's allergic response at its source. So whether it's pollen or peanuts bothering you, it's got you covered."The biggest advantage of antibody-based therapeutics is that they offer the potential to target the underlying pathways driving allergic reactions in general," Sayantani Sindher, a clinical associate professor at Stanford University's Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, told Vox. "This means antibody-based therapies will simultaneously impact all of the patient's allergens."The type of allergy medications you're probably familiar with, like Claritin or Zyrtec, are antihistamines. These target the chemical histamines that your immune system releases when it detects an allergen — correctly or otherwise — triggering those dreaded inflammation symptoms ranging from hopelessly runny noses to persistent rashes. But antihistamines don't work for everyone, and target the symptoms, not the cause. They also require that you stay on top of regularly taking them, something that most people aren't good at.Monoclonal antibodies, on the other hand, stop those histamines from ever hitting the bloodstream by primarily targeting an antibody known as immunoglobulin E. Typically, when immunoglobulin E detects an allergen, it binds to your body's immune cells to instruct them to enter attack mode. Cleverly, monoclonal antibodies bind to the immune cells' receptors to stop those instructions from ever reaching them in the first place.The result is a treatment that is both more effective and longer-lasting. Omalizumab only requires a single shot taken two weeks before the start of the spring. In one randomized trial, published in the journal Clinical and Translational Allergy and cited by Vox, patients who were given a 300 mg injection experienced both fewer symptoms and fewer days that required them to take a daily antihistamine medication. It controlled nasal symptoms just as effectively as medication, and was even better at relieving eye symptoms. In all, participants' quality of life significantly improved.What's really groundbreaking, though, is omalizumab's ability to treat food allergies, too — a use that the Food and Drug Administration approved in early 2024. It may not allow you to go ham and eat anything you want, but it'll stop your day from being ruined if you accidentally eat something you're not supposed to."Pollen allergy and food allergy are frequently found together," Sindher told Vox. "Omalizumab has the potential to treat both."While conventional allergy vaccines can help build up long-term tolerance to allergens, such treatments take years and only work with one allergen at a time, notes Vox. Omalizumab's benefits are instant, though periodic shots will be required.Still, at an annual cost as high as $60,000, Xolair remains prohibitively expensive, and most insurers won't offer coverage for using it as an all-around allergen treatment. But there's a glimmer of hope: the FDA approved a generic version of omalizumab in March, notes Vox, which could drive down costs in the future.Share This Article