How Does a Skin Patch Help Toddlers With Peanut Allergy?
Toddlers with peanut allergy were safely desensitized through a immunotherapy skin patch, reducing allergic reaction risk, stated a global phase 3 clinical trial that included Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago ().
Results of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial for children 1-3 years of age, funded by DBV Technologies, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
‘Among kids with peanut allergies, the peanut skin patch was proved to be safe, with reduced chances of a severe allergic reaction. ’
"We were excited to contribute to this landmark study that carries so much promise for our young patients with peanut allergy," said co-author Melanie Makhija, MD, who was the Principal Investigator of the study at Lurie Children's and is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
"Children who originally reacted to a small fraction of a peanut were able to tolerate the equivalent of one to four peanuts after completing the treatment course. This means that these children will be well protected from accidental exposure to peanuts."
Peanut Allergy: Statistics
Peanut allergy affects approximately 2 percent of children in the United States (), Canada and other westernized countries, and it commonly persists into adulthood. Life-threatening allergic reactions can be triggered by unintentional exposure to minute quantities, including through products manufactured on shared equipment as peanuts. Currently, there are no approved treatments for peanut-allergic children younger than 4 years of age.References:
- Phase 3 Trial of Epicutaneous Immunotherapy in Toddlers with Peanut Allergy - (https:www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2212895)
- The global burden of illness of peanut allergy: A comprehensive literature review - (https:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8247890/)