A food allergy can be a terrifying thing. When someone eats even a small amount of a food to which they are allergic, a minor reaction can involve itching, swelling, and stomach ache.
But one in four people unlucky enough to have a food allergy, even a mild one, will at some point experience a severe reaction: anaphylaxis, a state of shock defined as a reaction involving two of the body’s organs, is characterised by symptoms like wheezing, dizziness and vomiting. The pulse can slow, blood pressure can drop, and the airways can close.
In an alarming number of people in the last few years, it has been fatal.
Allergy Therapeutics plc (LON:AGY) is a market-leading, pioneering immunology business with specialist experience in the research and development of allergy treatments.