Baked Milk Oral Immunotherapy Found to be Effective Treatment for Cow’s Milk Allergy
February 5, 2024
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Candace Archie, Communications & Public Relations Manager
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Research shows after 12 and 24 months of treatment, participants experienced significant desensitization to milk products
MILWAUKEE – Baked milk oral immunotherapy (BMOIT) is well tolerated and induces substantial desensitization to both baked and unheated milk according to new research being presented at the 2024 AAAAI Annual Meeting.
“Cow’s milk allergy is the most common food allergy in young children and while often outgrown, approximately 20% persists into adolescence and adulthood. Due to the ubiquitous nature of milk, avoidance is difficult leading to frequent and often severe reactions in addition to social and dietary restrictions leading to a major impact of quality of life. For all these reasons, an effective treatment is needed, and this was the impetus for this trial. We were excited to find that baked milk oral immunotherapy in children with severe milk allergy appears to be both safe and efficacious” said primary author, Jennifer Dantzer, MD, MHS.
Researchers performed a phase II double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing BMOIT to a placebo over a 12-month period. After the year one oral food challenges, the study was unblinded, and the placebo group crossed over to active therapy while the active baked milk group continued to receive 2000mg of BMOIT for an additional 12 months. After two years, participants underwent additional oral food challenges to baked and unheated milk.
The results showed that 24 out of 30 randomized patients completed the year two oral food challenges. 92% of participants tolerated approximately 2g doses of baked milk (BM) and 79% of participants tolerated the maximum cumulative dose of 4g, with no difference between the those on BMOIT for 12 or 24 months. The group who received BM for 24 months tolerated a higher median dose of unheated milk compared to the initial placebo group who only received only 12 months of BMOIT, and longer duration of treatment appears to increase the efficacy. During year 2 of the trial, there were symptoms with 12% of BM doses, 98% of which were mild with no severe reactions. The most common symptoms were oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal.
Cow's milk allergy is among the most common food allergies in young children, and with no currently known treatment options, this research provides valuable evidence for potential treatment paths in the future.
Visit aaaai.org to learn more about baked milk. Research presented at the 2024 AAAAI Annual Meeting, February 23-26 in Washington, DC, is published in an online supplement to The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) is the leading membership organization of more than 7,100 allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and other professionals with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 7,100 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries and is the go-to resource for patients living with allergies, asthma and immune deficiency disorders.