In Switzerland, Nestlé Health Science invested $145 million in Aimmune Therapeutics to accelerate the development of innovative oral immunotherapy biologics designed to desensitize people with food allergies and protect them from the consequences of accidental exposure. Aimmune’s approach to treating life-threatening food allergies is based on extensive independent scientific research demonstrating that most patients with food allergies can become desensitized to the allergens, or proteins, in a particular food through the oral administration of gradually increasing amounts of the allergens.
Aimmune’s lead Characterized Oral Desensitization ImmunoTherapy product candidate, AR101 for peanut allergy, is a characterized, regulated, oral biological drug product containing the protein profile found in peanuts designed to desensitize patients with peanut allergy. AR101 has received the FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the desensitization of peanut-allergic patients 4-17 years of age and is currently being evaluated in Phase 3 clinical trials in patients 4-55 years of age with results expected in 4Q 2017.