According to a U.S. study, an experimental skin patch has shown promise for treating children with severe peanut allergies by teaching their bodies to deal with occasional ingestion.
Peanut allergy is one of the most common and dangerous food allergies, and parents of allergic children are constantly wary of exposures that can turn birthdays or games into hospital trips, reports the Associated Press (AP).
If left untreated, the only treatment is for children 4 years of age and older, who can use a special peanut powder to protect against a severe reaction.
The investigational patch, called Viaskin, is designed to deliver this type of treatment through the skin to children up to four years of age.
Researchers reported Wednesday that a large study involving children aged 1 to 3 helped those who could not tolerate even a tiny fraction of peanuts to safely eat a few bites.
If more testing is done, these patches could “fill a huge unmet need,” said Matthew Greenhot, an allergist at Colorado Children’s Hospital who helped lead the study.
About 2% of children in the US have a peanut allergy, some so severe that even a small amount can cause a life-threatening reaction.
Your immune system overreacts to foods containing peanuts, setting off an inflammatory cascade that causes hives, wheezing, or worse.
Some young people outgrow the allergy, but most should avoid eating peanuts for life and carry “SOS” medication with them to avoid a severe reaction if they accidentally ingest the food.
In 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first treatment to induce peanut tolerance, an “oral immunotherapy” called Palforzia, which children ages 4 to 17 take daily to maintain protection.
Aimmune Therapeutics’ Palforzia is also being tested on children aged 1 to 2 years.
Meanwhile, the French company DBV Technologies is considering skin immunotherapy as an alternative way to reduce the body’s sensitivity to allergens.
Viaskin patch is coated with a small amount of peanut protein that is absorbed into the skin.
The daily patch is used between the shoulder blades where infants cannot remove it.
In a new study, 362 children with peanut allergies were first tested to see how high a dose of peanut protein they could tolerate. They were then randomly assigned to wear the Viaskin patch or a dummy patch each day.
After a year of treatment, the children were tested again, and about two-thirds of those who wore the real patch were able to safely eat more peanuts, equivalent to three to four, compared to a third compared to those who received fake patches. the researchers concluded.
In terms of safety, four Viaskin recipients experienced an allergic reaction called anaphylaxis that was found to be related to the patch. Three were treated with adrenaline to suppress the reaction, and one withdrew from the study.
Some young people also accidentally ate products containing peanuts during the study, and the researchers noted that allergic reactions were less common among Viaskin users than among those using counterfeit 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 towards a future with more food allergy treatments,” said Alkis Togias of the National Institutes of Health, who was not involved in the study.
DBV Technologies has been trying to bring the adhesive to market for several years. The company announced last month that the FDA wants more safety data for babies, and a separate study is already tracking longer-term treatment.
A study is also being conducted for children aged 4 to 7 years.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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