New clinical trials by medical experts have found that experimental wearable patches were able to help young children avoid peanut allergies.
More than 200 children aged 1 to 3 years were included in the study trial. The researchers found that after wearing the experimental patch 22 hours a day for a year, 67 percent were able to tolerate 300 to 1,000 milligrams of peanut protein, the equivalent of a Up to four peanuts.
The results were published New England Journal of Medicine Wednesday.
Dr. Matthew Greenhaut, lead author of the study and director of the Food Challenge and Research Unit at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said: “Surprisingly, it not only increased peanut intake. [tolerance] In these children, however, the nature of the response also changed. The number of severe reactions has decreased.”
The patch product is called Vaski from DBV Technologies – a biopharmaceutical company – which contains a small dose of peanut protein about 1/1,000 the size of a peanut kernel.
According to the company: “A new patch is applied every day and worn between the shoulder blades to allow the skin to absorb the protein. Immune cells then carry the protein to other parts of the body, where they suppress allergic reactions.” I help.”
It is not a treatment for children younger than 4 with peanut allergy, however, it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for children ages 4 to 17.
DBV Technologies Chief Medical Officer Dr. Faris Mohadin said Viaskin is not intended to make children tolerate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or completely eliminate allergies.
He said: “We’re trying to create a layer of protection for them so that if there is an accidental exposure to peanuts, they don’t have a reaction, or the reaction is very mild and they don’t get sent to the emergency room. “
Mohedin added: “Getting children with allergies to the point where they can tolerate several peanuts is absolutely life-changing and reduces the worry of parents taking their children to restaurants or on planes. It will happen.”
In the US, 1 in 50 children have a peanut allergy. In a 2018 report, the increase in peanut allergies has tripled over the past two decades, but the reasons for this trend are unknown.
According to the statistics: “Up to 20 percent of people with a peanut allergy eventually outgrow it, although some people’s allergy worsens over time.”
During the Viaskin trial, four young children developed anaphylaxis — an allergic reaction often characterized by difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat, pale skin, blue lips, fainting, or dizziness.
The reaction was not considered severe.
Greenhot said: “The majority of side effects in the trial were local skin reactions.”
“The patch seems to be most effective in young children because young children have weaker immune systems,” Greenhaut added.
“Most of his patients with peanut allergies are infants and toddlers. His older pediatric patients have seen improvement with Palforzia, but it’s not suitable for everyone because it requires visits to the doctor every two weeks. required and not all insurance providers are covered,” said Dr. Kanwaljit Brar, a specialist in pediatric allergy and immunology at Hussonfeld Children’s Hospital. at NYU Langone.
Dr. Brar said the patch could remove some of the barriers to access, adding, “I actually have a daughter with a peanut allergy, and it’s a big deal for someone like me. Would be a great option for the really busy parent.”