Scientists at Northwestern University have discovered a drug that could offer a new approach to treating life-threatening food allergies.

The drug Zileuton, a pill that has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is used for asthma.

Dr. Stephanie Eisenbarth and Dr. Adam Williams, co-senior study authors who work in allergy and immunology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, conducted a study on mice that showed the drug could lead to new protection for millions of people living with food allergies.

The scientists identified - in mice - a previously unknown role for a gene, which they found is essential in regulating anaphylaxis, which is a rapid and potentially fatal allergic reaction, according to a news release from Northwestern.

"Once we identified the gene in the

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