HCPLive Five at AAAAI 2026

At the 2026 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) annual meeting in Philadelphia from February 27 – March 2, investigators presented new data spanning drug hypersensitivity, food allergy treatment, microbiome science, and biologic therapies for chronic inflammatory disease.

In this installment of HCPLive Five, the editorial team highlights 5 key expert interviews conducted on site, featuring insights from leading clinicians and investigators on emerging data. Topics include pharmacogenomic risk for lamotrigine-induced DRESS, adjunct biologic strategies for multi-allergen oral immunotherapy (OIT), microbiome modulation in infants born via cesarean delivery, and long-acting biologic therapies for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and hereditary angioedema (HAE).

HLA-A*32:01 Linked to Lamotrigine DRESS Risk, With Matthew Krantz, MD

New research highlights a strong genetic association between the antiseizure medication lamotrigine and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms) among carriers of the HLA-A*32:01 allele. In an interview, Matthew Krantz, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discussed prospective case-control findings conducted with Mass General Brigham showing 12-fold increased odds of lamotrigine-induced DRESS among HLA-A*32:01 carriers.

The multi-institutional analysis included 30 confirmed DRESS cases and 300 lamotrigine-tolerant controls from the BioVU biobank. Findings show the potential role of HLA genotyping in clarifying causality when multiple medications are involved and may inform future pharmacogenomic strategies to identify patients at elevated risk for severe lamotrigine hypersensitivity.

Dupilumab Reduces GI Symptoms During Multi-Allergen OIT, With Sayantani Sindher, MD

Findings from the COMBINE trial suggest the biologic dupilumab may improve tolerability and desensitization during omalizumab-facilitated multi-allergen OIT. In an interview, Sayantani Sindher, MD, from Stanford University, discussed results from the randomized study of 108 patients with multiple food allergies undergoing OIT. Although adding dupilumab did not significantly improve sustained unresponsiveness, it increased tolerance to higher allergen doses and reduced gastrointestinal adverse events.

Participants receiving dupilumab tolerated larger allergen exposures and experienced fewer GI symptoms per dose. Findings suggest dupilumab may serve as a targeted adjunct therapy to improve safety and patient experience during multi-allergen OIT.

Vaginal Seeding Partially Modifies Infant Microbiome in ACTIVATE, With Jose Clemente, PhD

Results from the ACTIVATE trial suggest vaginal microbial transfer may partially modify the infant gut microbiome in cesarean-delivered infants and influence early allergy risk. In an interview, Jose Clemente, PhD, from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sina, discussed findings showing that vaginal seeding increased colonization with beneficial microbes such as Lactobacillus shortly after birth and temporarily shifted microbiome profiles toward those seen in vaginally delivered infants. Although global microbiome differences diminished by 12 months, infants with successful microbial transfer showed lower levels of microbes associated with food sensitization.

Twice-Yearly Depemokimab Reduces Rescue Use in Recurrent CRSwNP, With Josesph Han, MD

A pooled post hoc analysis of ANCHOR-1 and ANCHOR-2 suggests the anti–IL-5 biologic depemokimab may improve disease control in patients with CRSwNP and prior surgery. In an interview, Joseph K. Han, MD, from Old Dominion University, discussed findings showing twice-yearly depemokimab improved nasal obstruction, sense of smell, and health-related quality of life compared with placebo in patients with type 2 inflammation. Depemokimab significantly reduced the need for rescue interventions such as systemic corticosteroids or additional surgery.

Navenibart at 3- and 6-Month Dosing Reduces HAE Attacks, With Adil Adatia, MD

Interim phase 2 ALPHA-SOLAR data suggest the investigational monoclonal antibody navenibart may provide durable prophylaxis for HAE types 1 and 2. In an interview, Adil Adatia, MD, from University of Alberta, reported that both 3-month and 6-month subcutaneous dosing schedules produced substantial reductions in HAE attacks, with median reductions exceeding 95%. The long-acting plasma kallikrein–targeting antibody demonstrated a favorable safety profile, with mostly mild treatment-emergent adverse events and few injection-site reactions.

Investigators also noted improvements in patient quality of life as attack frequency declined. Findings support continued evaluation of navenibart in the ongoing phase 3 ALPHA-ORBIT trial.