The economic impact of peanut allergies

The prevalence of peanut allergies, the most common food allergy in children, has tripled in the past 2 decades. Today, up to 2.5% of the pediatric population has been diagnosed with a peanut allergy. Peanut allergies result in significant medical, out-of-pocket, and opportunity costs to payers, parents, and employers. They are also a leading cause of food allergy-related deaths in children. Although there is evidence that peanut oral immunotherapy may be effective in reducing the severity of the allergy, such approaches require a long intervention with no standardized protocol available. The introduction of biologic compounds to treat peanut allergies has the potential to revolutionize how these patient cases are managed. Their anticipated high cost, however, raises several issues for payers as to how to integrate these new therapies into formularies and treatment continuums.