New NIH Guidelines Advocate ImmunoCAP Blood Test to Improve Diagnosis of Food Allergy

UPPSALA, Sweden, December 8, 2010 - New guidelines on diagnosis and management of food allergy issued by the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases a part of NIH, supports
a broader use of blood test to improve current clinical practice.
Phadia's ImmunoCAP is recognized for its superior predictive values compared
to other systems. It provides precise, quantitative and standardized results
and help doctors make an accurate diagnosis.

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"Blood tests play an increasingly important role to predict and
effectively manage specific food allergies," says Dr.Philippe A. Eigenmann,
head of pediatric allergy at the Children's University Hospital of Geneva,
Switzerland

Food allergy is a growing public health concern which affects millions of
people around the world. A recent study in the US estimates that 5 percent of
the children under the age of 5 and 4 percent of teens and adults, about
10-12 million people, suffer from food allergy. The major food allergens,
hen's egg, cow's milk, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy and shellfish account
for 90 percent or more of all serious adverse food reactions in the US. Food
allergy can cause severe allergic reactions and even death from food induced
anaphylaxis. There is no current treatment other than avoiding the food that
causes the allergy and treating the symptoms associated with severe
reactions. An early diagnosis is key to better patient management.

"The new Food Allergy Guidelines and these newer diagnostic technologies
give today's parents of food allergic children information and options that
simplify treatment decisions. Raising children with food allergies remains a
challenge but this new knowledge gives us all greater power to control the
outcome," says Nancy Sander, President and Founder, Allergy & Asthma Network,
Mothers of Asthmatics, USA.

The NIH expert panel recommends that all food allergies should be
confirmed and monitored by an appropriate evaluation e. g tests for allergic
sensitization such as ImmunoCAP from Phadia. Medical history alone is not
sufficient to make a diagnosis of food allergy. Blood tests can help defining
the underlying cause of an allergic reaction, confirm or rule out food
allergy and thus avoid unnecessary treatment or dietary restrictions. Food
avoidance affects quality of life and can place patients at significant risk
for nutritional deficiencies and growth deficit, especially critical in
children.

A common blood test is easy and reliable. Unlike traditional skin-prick
testing it can be done irrespective of a patient's age, skin condition,
medication, symptom, disease activity and pregnancy. In addition it may
provide more detailed information on the origin of the allergy.

We are very pleased that the superior clinical value of ImmunoCAP in
diagnosing and monitoring food allergy is recognized. This confirms our
leading position, says Jean Forcione Chief Operating Officer Phadia AB

The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, EAACI, has
created a task force that is currently developing guidelines for the
diagnosis and management of food allergies. The model for development is
similar to the US Guidelines. Following completion the US and European
guidelines will be harmonized.

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence, NICE is developing
clinical practice guidelines in children and young people on food allergy
will be released in early 2011.

About Phadia

Phadia AB develop, manufacture and market complete blood test system to
support the clinical diagnosis and monitoring of allergy, asthma, and
autoimmune disease. Our mission is to dramatically improve the management of
allergy, asthma and autoimmune diseases by providing healthcare professionals
with superior diagnostic technologies and clinical expertise. We supply more
than 7 out of 10 allergy laboratory tests worldwide and 4 out of 10
autoimmunity tests to laboratories throughout Europe.

For more information on the new NIH-guidelines, please go to:

www.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2010/Pages/FoodAllergyGuidelin
es2010.aspx

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this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove the
space if one exists.)

For more information on Phadia or ImmunoCAP, please visit
www.phadia.com.

    Media Contact:

    Ulf Bladin
    Vice President Marketing, Corporate Communication, Scientific Affairs
    Phadia AB
    P.O. Box 6460
    SE-75137 Uppsala, Sweden
    +46-18-16-50-00
    +46-18-14-03-58 (Fax)
    ulf.bladin@phadia.com

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Media Contact: Ulf Bladin, Vice President Marketing, Corporate Communication, Scientific Affairs, Phadia AB, P.O. Box 6460, SE-75137 Uppsala, Sweden, +46-18-16-50-00, +46-18-14-03-58 (Fax), ulf.bladin at phadia.com