An experimental skin patch has shown promise for treating infants who are severely allergic to peanuts by training their bodies to deal with accidental consumption, according to a US study.
Peanut allergy is one of the most common and dangerous food allergies, and parents of allergic children are constantly on guard against exposures that could turn birthday parties or playtime into trips to the emergency room, the Associated reported. Press (AP).
With no cure, the only treatment is for children ages 4 and up, who can consume a special peanut powder to guard against a severe reaction.
The patch under study, called Viaskin, aims to provide this type of treatment through the skin to children under four years of age.
A large trial of children ages 1 to 3 helped those who couldn’t tolerate even a small fraction of peanuts safely eat a few pieces, researchers reported Wednesday.
If further testing is done, these patches could “fill a large unmet need,” said Matthew Greenhawt, an allergy physician at Children’s Hospital Colorado, who helped lead the study.
About 2% of American children are allergic to peanuts, some so severely that even a small amount can cause a life-threatening reaction.
Your immune system overreacts to foods that contain peanuts, triggering an inflammatory cascade that leads to hives, wheezing, or worse.
Some young people outgrow the allergy, but most must avoid peanuts for life and carry ‘SOS’ medication with them to avoid a serious reaction if they accidentally ingest the food.
In 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first treatment to induce tolerance to peanuts: an “oral immunotherapy” called Palforzia that children ages 4 to 17 take daily. to maintain protection.
Aimmune Therapeutics’ Palforzia is also being tested in children between the ages of 1 and 2.
Meanwhile, DBV Technologies of France is considering skin-based immunotherapy as an alternative way to desensitize the body to allergens.
The Viaskin patch is coated with a small amount of peanut protein that absorbs into the skin.
A daily patch is worn between the shoulder blades where babies cannot remove it.
In the new study, 362 children with peanut allergies were first tested to see what doses of peanut protein they could tolerate. They were then randomly assigned to wear the Viaskin patch or a dummy patch every day.
After a year of treatment, the children were retested, and about two-thirds of those who used the actual patch were able to safely eat more peanuts, the equivalent of three or four, compared with one-third compared to those who received fake patches. the researchers concluded.
Regarding safety, four Viaskin recipients experienced an allergic reaction called anaphylaxis that was found to be related to the patch. Three were treated with epinephrine to quell the reaction and one withdrew from the study.
Some youngsters also accidentally ate foods containing peanuts during the study, and the researchers noted that allergic reactions were less common among Viaskin users than among those using the fake patches. The most common side effect was skin irritation at the patch site.
These results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The findings “are very good news for young children and their families as the next step toward a future of more food allergy treatments,” said Alkis Togias of the National Institutes of Health, who was not involved in the study.
DBV Technologies struggled for several years to bring the adhesive to market. Last month, the company announced that the FDA wants some additional safety data for babies, and a separate study is already tracking longer treatments.
A study is also being conducted for children between the ages of 4 and 7.
Source: TSF
