New York, Sept. 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intrommune Therapeutics, a New York-based biotechnology company developing the patient-friendly oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT) toothpaste platform for the treatment of peanut and other food allergies, is pleased to announce that the nonprofit organization, Allergy & Asthma Network (AAN), has provided a letter of support for Intrommune Therapeutics and its mission to develop safe and effective options for food allergy sufferers. AAN is the leading nonprofit organization whose mission is to end the needless death and suffering due to asthma, allergies and related conditions through outreach, education, advocacy and research.
Food allergies affect an estimated 220 million people, including 9 million adults and 6 million children in the U.S. Management of food allergies currently focuses on avoidance of exposure to triggering foods, though many such foods such as peanuts are common ingredients in food products and therefore difficult to avoid. Many people with peanut allergy are accidentally exposed and experience potentially life-threatening reactions, including anaphylaxis, each year.
Unfortunately, there are no FDA-approved therapies for any food allergy, an area of tremendous unmet medical need. Other peanut allergy therapies currently in development have demonstrated issues around safety that have been recognized by food allergy thought leaders. Moreover, there is a paucity of data on the expected need for long-term treatment with these investigational immunotherapies that many have noted are cumbersome for daily administration.
Intrommune’s OMIT platform enables regular self-administration of allergy immunotherapy to desensitize a patient to food allergies (including peanut allergy) while a user brushes their teeth. The patient friendly profile of OMIT, a fully functional daily use toothpaste, is anticipated to avoid the safety issues noted in other investigational products, while maintaining patients on therapy, which should enable long-term use and protection.
Allergy & Asthma Network’s letter of support states:
“Despite [the food allergy] community’s best efforts, patients still encounter accidental exposures daily resulting in a patient being sent to the ER every three minutes for food allergy alone. The time is now for a desensitization method that is safe, effective and easy to use.
This is exactly the solution that Intrommune Therapeutics offers with its toothpaste immunotherapy offering. First, safety is the foremost concern. With the toothpaste, the treatment is not swallowed and, therefore, the GI side effects should be nonexistent. Secondly, by using a wider region of the oral cavity mucosa, efficacy should increase as supported by the World Allergy Organization. Finally, given most people brush their teeth at least once per day, this should become habit very easily and result in greater compliance…”
The OMIT platform is expected to improve allergy immunotherapy by increasing the precision of treatment delivery and promoting treatment adherence. OMIT delivers biologically active compounds to the areas of the oral mucosa that have the highest likelihood of initiating allergy desensitization. Targeted delivery of medication is expected to decrease the rate of side effects linked to swallowing food allergy proteins, including eosinophilic esophagitis, gastrointestinal discomfort and potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis that requires the use of emergency epinephrine.
In addition to the letter of support, Intrommune is pleased to announce that Tonya Winders, AAN’s CEO, has joined the company’s advisory board.
“The addition of Ms. Winders to our advisory board will insure the crucial food allergy patient perspective is maintained front and center as Intrommune navigates its developmental and regulatory milestones in an emerging field with competitor products that have demonstrated safety concerns,” said Michael Nelson, CEO, Intrommune. “Taking into account the patient perspective is crucial to the success of Intrommune’s pipeline of food allergy therapies.”
To view the letter of support, please visit: http://www.intrommune.com/AAN
The Keiretsu Forum, a global investment community of accredited angel investors, has engaged in a thorough diligence process with Intrommune and has issued a positive report. To access this report, please visit: http://www.intrommune.com/keiretsu-dd
About Oral Mucosal Immunotherapy
Oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT) uses a specially formulated toothpaste to stabilize and deliver allergenic proteins to immunologically active areas of the oral cavity with the greatest potential for allergy desensitization. Success with allergy immunotherapy hinges on consistent exposure of a patient’s immune system to gradually “desensitize” the patient to the specific allergy trigger over time. OMIT promises advantages over other approaches to allergy immunotherapy due to its targeted delivery, simplified administration, and support of reliable, long-term adherence.
About Intrommune Therapeutics
Intrommune, dedicated to improving and protecting the lives of people with food allergy, is developing the revolutionary oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT) treatment platform for food allergies. OMIT is a long-term, patient-friendly, disease-modifying solution for the 220 million people, including 9 million adults and 6 million children in the U.S., who suffer from life-altering food allergies. Intrommune’s lead product, INT301, is expected to be a safe, effective and convenient therapy for patients who suffer from peanut allergy. There is no FDA-approved treatment for peanut allergy or any other food allergy.
For more information on Intrommune Therapeutics, please follow the link to http://www.intrommune.com
About Allergy & Asthma Network
Allergy & Asthma Network (AAN) is the leading nonprofit patient education and advocacy organization for people with asthma, respiratory allergies, food allergies and related conditions. Their patient-centered network unites individuals, families, healthcare professionals, industry and government decision makers to improve health and quality of life for Americans with asthma and allergies. The Asthma & Allergy Network team specializes in making accurate medical information relevant and understandable to all while promoting evidence-based standards of care. Learn more at allergyasthmanetwork.org. Tonya Winders, the CEO of AAN, is receiving equity compensation for her advisory work for Intrommune Therapeutics. AAN was not compensated for the letter of support.
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