The study has been set up by the family of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after eating a sandwich.
Image source, PA Media
The parents of a teenage girl who died from an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette have set up a clinical trial to make “food allergies history”.
Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse’s daughter Natasha, 15, died in 2016 after eating a baguette containing sesame, to which she was allergic.
The trial will investigate if everyday food products can be used as treatment.
It is a unique opportunity to establish immunotherapy as a practical treatment, according to an expert.
The trial, set up by the family from Fulham in west London, will see whether commonly available food products, such as milk and peanuts, can be used under medical supervision to treat those with food allergies.
After a 12-month desensitisation period, those involved will be tracked for two further years.
Image source, Family handout
The three-year oral immunotherapy (OIT) trial will be led by the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
Major food businesses such as KFC, Greggs and Lidl have helped raise money for the £2.2m trial, which will be funded by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.
‘The aim is to save lives’
Mr and Mrs Ednan-Laperouse’s daughter died in 2016 after she ate an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette containing sesame seeds, bought from a Pret a Manger at Heathrow Airport.
The wrapper did not have any allergy information, and, as it was made on the premises, this was not required by law at the time.
In October, “Natasha’s Law” was brought in, making allergy information a requirement for food made on site.
Image source, Getty Images
“This is a major first step in our mission to make food allergies history,” said Mr Ednan-Laperouse.
“The aim is to save lives and prevent serious hospitalisations by offering lifelong protection against severe allergic reactions to foods.”
Mr Ednan-Laperouse added: “The study aims to plug the current oral immunotherapy research gap by proving that everyday foods can be used as a practical treatment for children and young adults with allergies at a fraction of the cost to the NHS.
“If successful, this will empower the NHS to provide cost-effective treatments for people living with food allergies, through oral immunotherapy.
“It would enable people, once desensitised under clinical supervision, to control their own lives and stay allergy-safe using shop-bought foods rather than expensive pharmaceutical products.”
What are food allergies?
- Food allergies happen when the immune system mistakenly treats proteins found in food as a threat
- As a result, a number of chemicals are released – it’s these chemicals that cause the symptoms of an allergic reaction
- Almost any food can cause an allergic reaction, but some are more common than others
- It’s still unknown why people develop allergies to food
Source: NHS
Hasan Arshad, professor of allergy and clinical immunology at the University of Southampton, believes the study could afford allergy sufferers a greater freedom.
He said: “This project presents a unique opportunity to establish immunotherapy as a practical treatment that will allow people with food allergies to live a normal life.”