Leanne Metcalf, Director of Research at Asthma UK, says: ‘There is now a broad spectrum of evidence which suggests that the pre-natal environment, including factors such as maternal stress and family history, can influence whether or not a child will go on to develop asthma symptoms. This study is important as it suggests that a newborn with a family history of asthma or allergy will respond more strongly to asthma triggers if their mothers have higher stress levels during pregnancy…

InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee (PADAC) voted 9-3 to recommend approval of Esbriet® (pirfenidone) for the treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to reduce decline in lung function. IPF is a rare and fatal lung disease that affects approximately 200,000 people in the United States and Europe. If approved by the FDA for commercialization, Esbriet would be the first medication to be made available to IPF patients in the United States…

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) are applauding the efforts of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) patients and family members for their work to convey to the FDA and an FDA Advisory Committee the sense of urgency and desperation regarding the disease and the lack of treatment options. Their words were heard yesterday by the 11-member Advisory Committee and representatives of the FDA during a public hearing portion of the FDA Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee discussion of a potential new therapy in the fight against PF…

InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted briefing documents for the March 9 Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee (PADAC) meeting to review the New Drug Application (NDA) for pirfenidone, InterMune’s investigational drug candidate for the treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to reduce decline in lung function. The proposed trade name for pirfenidone is Esbriet®…

Dozens of National Jewish Health faculty presented their latest research findings at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology in New Orleans Feb 27-March 2, 2010. Below are several noteworthy presentations. Vitamin D May Boost Effectiveness of Corticosteroids in Asthma Vitamin D enhances the activity of the corticosteroid dexamethasone more than ten-fold in cells taken from asthma patients…

Easting Egg Allergies With Eggs Oral immunotherapy study at Hopkins Children’s shows it works Children with egg allergies who consume increasingly higher doses of egg protein - the very nutrient they react to - appear to gradually overcome their allergies, tolerating eggs better over time and with milder symptoms, according to research conducted at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and elsewhere. The findings from a multi-center trial were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Feb. 26 through March 2…

NEW ORLEANS (MedPage Today) — An allergy to meat may be responsible for up to half of recurrent anaphylaxis cases without known cause, researchers said.

Could a treatment for egg allergy be on the horizon? Late-breaking research presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) shows promising results for parents of egg allergic children. In this first multi-center trial that involved Duke, Johns Hopkins, Mount Sinai, National Jewish and the University of Arkansas, 55 children between the ages of 5 and 18 were randomized to receive egg white solid oral immunotherapy or a placebo. The study spanned three dosing phases: initial escalation, build-up and maintenance…

It has long been known that the choices you make during pregnancy can have a lasting impact, but new research shows that certain behaviors could influence whether your child will develop food allergies or asthma. In two studies unveiled at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), researchers examined the relationship between folate levels in pregnancy and the risk of having an asthmatic child, along with the effectiveness of avoiding food allergens during pregnancy in high risk families…

New research suggests that there may be a link between increasing asthma rates and a particular threshold of bisphenol A (BPA), according to a study being presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). In the study, maternal exposure to 10 micro g/ml of BPA in mice enhanced the allergic sensitization and bronchial inflammation and responsiveness in their pups. This dosage mimics the human BPA burden of chronic exposure, including that of pregnant women…