Allergies come in all shapes and sizes ...
Just like allergy sufferers. And they are on the rise. For many people allergies can range from sniffling and sneezing to skin rashes to gastrointestinal issues. A certain percentage, however, have more than these uncomfortable symptoms to deal with. Anaphylaxis, a serious life-threatening reaction, causes approximately 1,500 deaths a year in the United States alone. Clearly, allergies are nothing to sneeze at!
Articles for Advocacy
Dillon Mueller was an 18 year old Eagle Scout when he died Oct. 4, 2014, after suffering a severe allergic reaction from a bee sting. There was no epinephrine available in the first aid kits of either the friend with him, or the arriving volunteer first responders. From this tragedy, “Dillon’s Law”, was enacted in Wisconsin, in 2018, to help promote greater access to life saving epinephrine. Recently Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed “Dillon's Law 2.0”, building on the previous legislation that helps greater access to life saving epinephrine.
WI Governor Signs “Dillon’s Law 2.0”
April 10th, 2022
MADISON, WI
“Dillon’s Law 2.0,” which expands the availability of epinephrine auto-injectors for individuals having a life-threatening allergic reaction, was signed into law today by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.
State Sen. André Jacque (R-De Pere), lead Senate co-author, and Assembly co-author Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Gibson), said this new law is a common-sense expansion of the original 2018 Dillon’s Law that will make saving lives even easier.
“Dillion’s Law is especially important, because it is life-saving legislation born from tragedy, and a continuing legacy,” said Sen. Jacque.
Eighteen-year-old Dillon Mueller died Oct. 4, 2014, after he suffered a severe allergic reaction from a bee sting when no epinephrine was available in the first aid kits of either the friend with him, or the arriving volunteer first responders.
“Dillon himself was an Eagle Scout preparing to take over the family heritage farm,” Rep. Sortwell said. “Had there been an epinephrine auto-injector available to counteract a simple bee sting, a fine young man with his whole life ahead of him would very likely be alive today.”
If you have a life-threatening food allergy, accurate food product labels are essential. With 32 million Americans at risk for anaphylaxis, with approximately six million of those being children, it can potentially be life-saving. Recently the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) published a paper entitled “Trends in Food Allergy Research, Regulations and Patient Care”. This important paper provides " an overview of food allergies, their impact on affected individuals and caregivers, regulatory activities, and current research efforts to improve allergen management and patient care."
Public Health Organization Calls for Allergen Thresholds Product Labeling
By Dave Bloom
2022/04/15
The Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) is a non-profit organization concerned with public health. Earlier this week, they published a paper entitled “Trends in Food Allergy Research, Regulations and Patient Care” that provides an overview of food allergies, their impact on affected individuals and caregivers, regulatory activities, and current research efforts to improve allergen management and patient care."
The introduction to the paper provides some context to the problem, namely that food allergies affect some to 32 million Americans, including approximately 6 million children, and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that food allergies in children have clearly increased by 50% between 1997 and 2011.
Having the opportunity to have “an orally delivered epinephrine” could be a game changer. Recently Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST), announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to AQST-109, “the first and only orally delivered epinephrine-based product candidate for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis”. The FDA Fast Track process is “designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of potential therapies that seek to treat serious conditions and fill unmet medical needs.”
Aquestive Therapeutics AQST-109 on FDA Fast Track
KFA News Team
April 10th, 2022
WARREN, N.J.
Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST), a pharmaceutical company advancing medicines to solve patients' problems with current standards of care and provide transformative products to improve their lives, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to AQST-109, the first and only orally delivered epinephrine-based product candidate for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
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