Toddlers who wore a ‘peanut patch’ in a trial found that peanut allergies were alleviated

Wearable patches can prevent severe allergic reactions in young children with peanut allergies, according to promising clinical trial results.

In a late-stage study of more than 200 children ages 1 to 3 with peanut allergies, 67% reduced 300 to 1,000 milligrams of peanut protein after wearing the patch for about 22 hours a day for a year. I was able to endure. Equivalent to 1-4 peanuts.of Survey results published Wednesday evening in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“Surprisingly, not only did the amount of peanuts increase, [tolerance] But the nature of the reaction also changed. It reduced the number of serious reactions,” said Matthew Greenhort, Ph.D., lead author of the study and director of the Food Challenge and Research Unit at Children’s Hospital of Colorado.

The patch, a product called Viaskin from biopharmaceutical company DBV Technologies, contains a small amount of peanut protein equivalent to about 1/1,000th of a peanut kernel. A new patch is applied each day and worn between the shoulder blades so that the skin absorbs the protein.Immune cells carry the protein to other parts of the body where it helps to suppress allergic reactions. According to the company.

There is no approved treatment for children with peanut allergy under the age of 4. The Food and Drug Administration Approved However, for ages 4 to 17, it’s a powder called Parforzia that can be mixed with foods such as applesauce, yogurt, and puddings. Similarly, the powder aims to reduce the risk of severe allergic reactions by increasing a child’s tolerance to peanuts over time.

However, the Viaskin trial is the first to study this parenteral option for younger age groups.

Dr. Pharis Mohideen, chief medical officer at DBV Technologies, said Viaskin’s goal isn’t to get kids to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or eliminate allergies entirely.

“We’re trying to build a layer of protection so that if you’re accidentally exposed to peanuts, you won’t react, or your reaction will be so mild that you won’t be sent to the emergency room,” he said.

Mohideen said getting kids with allergies to tolerate a few peanut grains was “absolutely life-changing” and raised parents’ fears about taking their kids to restaurants and planes. He added that it would mitigate the

“Even if the label says ‘may contain peanuts,’ if you know that whole peanut kernels can be tolerated, the chances are pretty good that the product is safe.” he said.

1 in 50 children in the United States has a peanut allergy.a 2018 report We have determined that the prevalence of peanut allergy in this country has tripled over the past 20 years, but the reasons for the trend are not entirely clear.

Up to 20% of people with peanut allergies eventually surpassHowever, some people’s allergies get worse over time.

In the Viaskin trial, four of the participating infants developed anaphylaxis. Allergic reactions are often characterized by difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat, pale skin, blue lips, and fainting or dizziness. Although the reactions were not considered serious, three required epinephrine (more commonly known as an epipen).

Greenhawt said most side effects in trials were local skin reactions.

Other studies on peanut allergy interventions are ongoing. Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine recently Phase 2 trial Children ages 1 to 11 were given a small amount of peanut protein under their tongue. Of her 47 children who completed treatment, 70% were able to tolerate the equivalent of about 3 peanuts and 36% were able to tolerate the equivalent of about 16 peanuts. .

Viaskin has also been studied in children aged 4 to 7 years and has previously been studied in adolescents and adults. But Greenhawt said the patch would be most effective in young children because young children’s immune systems are more adaptable.

Dr. Kanwaljit Brar, an expert in pediatric allergy and immunology at NYU Langone’s Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, said most of her patients with peanut allergies are infants. Her older pediatric patient has seen improvement with Parforzia, she added, but it requires a doctor’s visit every two weeks and not all insurance companies cover it, so it’s not covered by all. It is not suitable for humans.

Barr said the patch could remove some of those barriers to access. “Actually I have a daughter with a peanut allergy and this would be a great option for a really busy parent like me.

Mohideen said DBV Technologies plans to eventually submit Viaskin to the FDA for approval, but the FDA will collect more safety data on the patch in both infants and children before application. He added that he had asked the company to do so.There is no specific timeline yet for completing the application, he said.