Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1208415
Recent news items on research and development, and progress in the treatment of respiratory diseases, such as asthma, COPD and tuberculosis as well as news about other topics. In each issue, the calendar provides a list of upcoming conferences, workshops and educational events, with dates, locations and web links for more information and registration. 30 February 2020 Inhalation clinicians and parents to determine if a child is truly allergic to sesame," explained Anthony S. Fauci, MD, Director of the National Insti- tute of Allergy and Infectious Dis- eases (NIAID), part of NIH, in a NIAID news release. "Given how frequently sesame allergy occurs among children who are allergic to other foods, it is important to use caution to the extent possible when exposing these children to sesame." Sesame is among the ten most common childhood food allergies. Severe reactions to it are common among sesame-allergic children. Only an estimated 20% to 30% of them will outgrow the allergy. About 1.1 million people in the United States have sesame allerg y, according to a NI AID- funded study. The United States Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to include sesame in the list of allergens that must be disclosed on food labels. Calendar March 2020 Inhalation & Respiratory Drug Delivery USA Congress. March 17-18, 2020 in San Diego, CA, US. Conducted by Oxford Global. https://www.oxfordglobal.co.uk/ formulation-deliver y-series-us/ inhalation/ Drug Deliver y Pa r t nerships. M a r c h 3 0 - A p r i l 1, 2 0 2 0 i n Orlando, FL, US. Conducted by KNect 365. https://lifesciences. knect365.com/ddp April 2020 R e s pi r a t or y D r u g D e l i ve r y (RDD) 2020. April 26-30, 2020 in Palm Desert, CA, US. Conducted by RDD Online. www.rddonline. com/rdd/rdd.php?id=18 IPAC-RS/RDD Symposium: e Global Regulatory Landscape and Advances in Digital Technology: Transforming the Patient Experi- ence with OINDPs. April 30-May 1, 2020 in Palm Desert, CA, US. Conducted by RDD Online and IPAC-RS. www.rddonline.com/ rdd/rdd.php?id=18 FDA approves first nasal spray for seizure rescue treatment SA N DIEGO, C A LIFOR NI A a nd CRYS TA L L A K E , I L L I- N O I S — N e u r e l i s , I n c . , a n d Aptar Pharma have announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Valtoco ® (diazepam nasal spray) as an acute treatment for intermittent, stereotypic episodes of frequent seizure activity (i.e., seizure clusters, acute repetitive seizures) that are distinct from a patient's usual seizure pattern. Va ltoco is the f irst nasa l spray approved by the FDA as a rescue treatment for people with epilepsy age 6 and older. It was also granted s e ve n y e a r s of Or ph a n Dr u g Exclusivit y by the FDA Off ice of Orpha n Products Develop- ment. Valtoco incorporates Aptar's Unidose Liquid System nasal deliv- er y device. Neurelis noted that despite the availability of chronic, daily oral medications, a signifi- cant number of patients experience seizures and are at risk for episodes of frequent seizure activity, also known as cluster or acute repeti- tive seizures. "is is an important development in the epilepsy com- munity," said R. Edward Hogan, MD, Director of the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Epi- lepsy Center in St. Louis, Missouri. "Most seizures that require inter- vention are treated in an inconve- nient manner. To be able to reliably treat seizure activit y when and where it happens with a caregiver- administered option like Valtoco is a significant step forward." respiratory mediCine news Launch of Europe's first national medical cannabis registry LONDON, U NITED K ING- DOM — According to Pharma Ti m e s O n l i n e , E u r op e 's f i r s t national medical cannabis registry for patients with chronic conditions has been launched. e program's goal is convincing policymakers that medical cannabis should be as widely as available and as affordable as other approved medicines for patients. Based at the Royal Col- lege of Psychiatrists in London as part of an initiative called "Project Twenty21," the program plans to enroll 20,000 patients by the end of 2021, study the therapeutic effects of medical cannabis and build the largest evidence base for National Health Service provision of those medicines. The chronic condi- tions that will be studied include chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, post traumatic stress dis- order, Tourette's syndrome and anxiety disorder, as well as people who are dealing with the harm of substance misuse. The program will not be a randomized control trial in which some patients would receive placebo; all 20,000 partic- ipants will receive medical canna- bis at an affordable cost. Pharma Times Online noted that while use of cannabis was approved a year ago, its cost remains unreachable for the vast majority of patients. e Royal College of Psychiatrists "welcomes" the project, and hopes that it will "make an important contribution towards addressing the paucity of evidence for the use of cannabis-based medicinal prod- ucts (CBMPs) in all health settings, including mental health." NIH researchers estimate occurence of sesame allergy in food-allergic children BETHESDA, M ARY L AND — Scientists at t he United States Nat iona l Inst it ute s of Hea lt h (NIH) have found that sesame allergy is common among children with other food allergies and occurs in an estimated 17% of them. e research, published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, also found that sesame antibody testing— whose utility has been controver- sial—accurately predicts if a child with food allergy is allergic to ses- ame. "It has been a challenge for industry news continued from page 7