Ep. 129: Omalizumab for Multiple Food Allergies – The OUtMATCH Trial
Part of the series: The Itch Review
LISTEN TO EPISODE 129: Apple Podcast • Spotify • Amazon Music
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Multiple food allergies are a daily stressor for millions of families. From avoiding social events to fearing accidental exposures, it can feel like living in a constant state of alert. Until recently, there were no FDA-approved treatments that targeted more than one allergen at a time.
In this episode, we break down the study: “Omalizumab for the Treatment of Multiple Food Allergies,” published in 2024 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Known as the OUtMATCH trial, it’s the first large-scale study to show that omalizumab (Xolair), a biologic already used for asthma and hives, may help people with multiple food allergies by raising the threshold for reactions.
We explain how omalizumab works by blocking IgE, the antibody that triggers allergic reactions, and how the study measured changes in reaction thresholds (the amount of an allergen a person can ingest before reacting). We also explore the trial design, results, safety profile, and what all of this means for the day-to-day management of food allergies.
What we cover in our episode about the OUtMATCH trial:
How omalizumab works to prevent allergic reactions: Learn how blocking IgE increases the amount of allergen needed to trigger symptoms, offering protection from small, accidental exposures.
Who qualified for the OUtMATCH trial and why: Find out which patients were included and how eligibility impacted outcomes.
What success looked like in this study: Understand how researchers defined protection across multiple allergens.
Why not everyone responded the same to omalizumab: Explore the variability in results and what it means for clinical care.
What else the study found beyond food challenges: Hear about safety findings, quality of life data, and the open-label extension.
More resources about food allergy
What are food allergies
Mental Health and Living with Food Allergies
Other podcast episodes about food allergy
Watch more episodes about food allergies
The Itch Review, hosted by Dr. Gupta, Kortney, and Dr. Blaiss, explores allergy and immunology studies, breaking down complex research in conversations accessible to clinicians, patients, and caregivers. Each episode provides key insights from journal articles and includes a one-page infographic in the show notes for easy reference.
Timestamps
Our episode discusses the diagnosis and treatment of mast cell disease in the yardstick from 2025
01:42 Mast cell disease classification
05:11 Understanding systemic mastocytosis
07:38 Indolent systemic mastocytosis symptoms
09:02 ISM diagnosis: tryptase, KIT, HaT
15:46 Hereditary alpha-tryptasemia in ISM
20:56 ISM treatment to control mast cell mediators
24:47 Neuropsychiatric symptoms in ISM
26:16 Other symptom management for ISM
30:12 Avapritinib for indolent systemic mastocytosis
33:03 Expert takeaways on ISM care
