The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first treatment for peanut allergies late Friday, and shares of the company that developed it, Aimmune Therapeutics (NASDAQ: AIMT) rose 6.4% today on the news. Palforzia is the first FDA-approved therapy for any food allergy and becomes Aimmune's first commercial product.
Palforzia is an immunotherapy designed to desensitize patients to potentially life-threatening allergic reactions to peanuts and is approved for use with patients aged 4 through 17. Children with a severe peanut allergy are at risk of accidental exposure to trace amounts of peanuts in the environment or in foods that may not even have peanuts as a listed ingredient, potentially resulting in anaphylaxis.
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