Oral Therapy Effectively Treats Childhood Peanut Allergy

Having peanut allergic children ingest powdered peanuts over a one year period allowed nearly 75% of them to safely tolerate a substantial amount of peanut protein when given as a challenge. Just published in the New England Journal of Medicine is a phase 3, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study of 98 peanut allergic kids 1 to 4 years of age. Only 2% of the children undergoing desensitization with the peanut powder suffered a serious or severe allergic reaction, and all were successfully treated.

This oral immunotherapy is not a cure for peanut allergies. It is intended only to avoid or reduce the risk of a severe or life-threatening allergic reaction should an individual accidently ingest peanut allergen. The peanut powder used in this study is already FDA approved for treatment of children 4 to 17 years of age. This study suggests that it may be safely used in younger children above the age of 12 months.

https://evidence.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/EVIDoa2300145
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peanut-allergy/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20376181

#peanut #allergy #immunotherapy #desensitization #anaphylaxis #peanutpowder