PHOENIX — Children with peanut allergy achieved greater maximum doses of peanut with intradermal immunotherapy, according to data presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.
Immunotherapy typically uses peanut extracts with whole allergenic proteins, according to presenter Brian P. Vickery, MD, chief of allergy and immunology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
These proteins cross-link surface IgE to release inflammatory mediators and activate mast cells. However, anaphylaxis and other allergic reactions may follow, requiring significant

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Adults with obesity who used either semaglutide or tirzepatide at baseline were able to maintain weight loss at 2 years across four separate treatment regimens, according to data presented at ObesityWeek.
In an analysis of data from adults with obesity who were using either injectable once-weekly semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy, Novo Nordisk) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound, Eli Lilly) at baseline, researchers compared changes in body weight and other cardiometabolic parameters among different management strategies. While adults who underwent bariatric surgery achieved the

NEW YORK — In this video from the Infectious Diseases in Children Symposium, C. Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, shares advice on tailoring preventive healthcare for children receiving biologic agents.
The type of biologic agent — whether it is narrow or broad — can impact which infections children are at risk for, Creech explained.
He noted that most — but not all — children on immunosuppressive drugs should not receive live vaccines, providing a couple of exceptions to that rule.
Watch the video to learn more.
C. Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, is a pediatric infectious disease physician at Vanderbilt University

PHOENIX — Often misdiagnosed as food allergy, eosinophilic esophagitis prevalence is rising in the U.S., according to results of two studies presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.
Healio previously reported that modifying dietary intake or using medications, such as proton pump inhibitors or dupilumab (Dupixent; Regeneron, Sanofi), can alleviate symptoms associated with EoE. However, without a proper and timely diagnosis, scar tissue can accumulate in and narrow the esophagus, worsening symptoms, according to a press release.
At ACAAI,

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The cost of GLP-1 receptor agonists is one of the strongest predictors for continued medication use among adults with diabetes or obesity, according to a speaker at ObesityWeek.
In an analysis of data from adults in the U.S. who participated in the Understanding America Study (UAS), researchers examined GLP-1 efficacy and usage in a real-world setting. Weight loss totals in the study were similar to what were observed in clinical trials, but the study found that 33.4% of participants stopped treatment. Additionally, discontinuation was more likely among those who were

PHOENIX — After prescribing a biologic to pediatric patients with atopic conditions, it took a mean of 32.7 days to receive prior authorization approval, according to data presented here.
“For the everyday clinician, the main message is that the burden of prior authorization denials is real, but some of this burden can be mitigated through careful planning,” Aarti P. Pandya, MD, allergy and immunology physician at Children’s Mercy, and Matthew Holland, DO, allergy and immunology fellow at Children’s Mercy, told Healio in a statement.
“We hope the data support conversations with payers about

PHOENIX — Patients with alpha-gal syndrome receiving omalizumab did not need to use epinephrine in a food-related reaction and reported improvement in reaction burden, according to data presented here.
This study on omalizumab (Xolair; Genentech, Novartis) was presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting as the first place winner of the Clemens von Pirquet Abstract Award.
“These findings suggest that omalizumab may represent a useful management strategy for carefully selected patients with alpha-gal syndrome who continue to experience

The FDA approved InspireMD's CGuard Prime stent for TCAR after a 50-patient trial reported no strokes or deaths within 30 days, though the study lacked a comparison group.

An 18-year study found that cancer trial patients received a median $2,128 for nonmedical costs. Experts recommend asking about coverage, reimbursement timing and visit requirements before enrolling.

A Mass General Brigham study found that the 4% oxygen-drop rule counted about 20% fewer breathing events in Black participants, raising concerns about sleep apnea diagnosis and CPAP coverage.