HJAR May/Jun 2024

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  MAY / JUN 2024 49 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com Allergy Research. She is also a professor of pedi- atric allergy and immunology in the University of Arkansas for Medical Science (UAMS) College of Medicine. “We estimate that 40% of the millions of people in the United States who cope with food allergies are allergic to multiple foods,” Jones said. “This treatment will have a tremendous impact on their quality of life. It will mean they live with less fear of an allergic reaction. This heralds an era of hope and possibility as we move toward more solutions for patients and families living with food allergy.” The study examined 177 children and adoles- cents, as well as three adults, as they took injec- tions every two to four weeks over four to five months. All the patients were allergic to peanuts and at least two other foods. The study found that omalizumab, a monoclo- nal antibody, reduces allergic reactions in children and adolescents if they accidentally eat a food to which they are allergic despite efforts to avoid it. Nearly 67% of study participants who received omalizumab could eat the equivalent of 2.5 pea- nuts without a moderate or severe allergic reac- tion, compared to less than 7% of those who received a placebo. The researchers observed similar outcomes for study participants allergic to milk, egg, walnut, wheat, cashew, and hazelnut. Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation collaborate to develop and co-promote omalizumab, mar- keted as Xolair, and supply it for the OUtMATCH trial. On Feb. 16, the FDA approved omalizumab for the reduction of allergic reactions, including ana- phylaxis, that may occur with accidental expo- sure to one or more foods in adult and pediatric patients aged 1 year and older with IgE-mediated food allergy. Omalizumab is not approved for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, includ- ing anaphylaxis. People taking omalizumab for food allergies should continue to avoid all foods they are allergic to (commonly referred to as “food allergen avoidance”). Omalizumab was previously FDA-approved and prescribed at Arkansas Children’s for asthma and chronic hives. This treatment will be available for qualifying food allergy patients immediately. This marks the second drug approved by the FDA to help people with food allergies studied by the Arkansas Children’s Food Allergy Program and their collaborators. The NIH Consortium for Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) was formed in 2005 with the Arkansas Children’s Food Allergy Program being an inaugural member. Palforzia, also stud- ied in a clinical trial at ACH, was approved by the FDA in 2020. “The Consortium for Food Allergy Research allows us to draw on the expertise of food allergy centers across the nation, and we partner to pro- duce transformative outcomes for patients and families as quickly as we can,” Jones said. “The study participants in Arkansas and across the other nine sites are the reason we can move these treatments forward and see the immediate impact of collaborative research.” The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is the regulatory sponsor of the OUt- MATCH trial. NIAID funds the ongoing trial with additional support from and collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. The National Center for Advancing Transla- tional Sciences (NCATS), also part of NIH, sup- ports some of the staff, space and services used to conduct the trial. The research described in this press release was funded by NIAID and NCATS under award num- bers UM2AI130836, UM1AI130838, UL1TR003098, UM1TR004408, UM1AI130570, UM1AI130839, UM1AI130936, UL1TR002535, UM1TR004399, UL1TR001878, UM1AI130781, and UL1TR002378. NewChief Operating Officer Joins Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Jason Demke recently joined Mercy Hospital Fort Smith as its new chief operating officer. Demke replaces Ryan Geib, who is now pres- ident of Mercy Southeast Communities in Mis- souri. Demke began his new position with Mercy on March 18. Most recently, he served as COO for West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell, Idaho, and previously was vice president of operations at Johnston-Willis Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. Demke will oversee the ongoing expansion of the emergency department and intensive care unit at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith, among other proj- ects. Construction began on the ER/ICU expan- sion in February 2022, and it has an expected completion date of April 2025. Northwest HealthWelcomes Philip Pitts, MD Northwest Health welcomes board-certified internist Philip Pitts, MD, to the medical staff, practicing at Northwest Medical Plaza – Pinnacle. He earned a medical education at the Univer- sity of Texas Health Science Center at San Anto- nio and then completed an internal medicine res- idency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Pitts’ office is located at 2000 S. 42nd, Suite 100, in Rogers, Arkansas. Baptist Health Foundation Welcomes New BoardMembers Baptist Health Foundation recently welcomed six new board members to help support its mis- sion of providing financial support to advance the healing ministry of Baptist Health through pur- poseful and philanthropic partnerships. The new board members are: • Matthew Blaylock, president of Blaylock Heating & Air. • Cara Butler, associate attorney at Mitchell Williams. • Jimmy Hammock, previous materials man- ager of Meritor, Inc. for 29 years, formerly Rockwell International. • Tonya Hooks, senior investigator with the Arkansas Crime Victims Reparations Board. • Kelly Imhoff, marketing director at Harrison Energy Partners. • Elizabeth Machen, executive vice president and director of marketing and communica- tions at Simmons Bank. n Jason Demke