Poplar: Expanding food allergy treatment with deeper IgE depletion

Boston-based Poplar is betting that deeper IgE reduction can expand anti-IgE therapy beyond Xolair’s reach, starting with food allergy as the proving ground for its lead candidate. The indication offers a defined regulatory path and established endpoints, while giving the company a foothold for broader expansion into IgE-mediated diseases.

The 2024 approval of Xolair omalizumab from the Genentech Inc. unit of Roche (SIX:ROG; OTCQB:RHHBY) and Novartis AG (SIX:NOVN; NYSE:NVS) for food allergy gave patients their first systemic option to reduce reactions after accidental exposure, moving the field beyond allergen avoidance and rescue medications. But Xolair binds and reduces free IgE without eliminating it, leaving mast cells partially sensitized and many patients — particularly those with higher body weight or higher baseline IgE — outside its dosing range or inadequately protected...