Could a SKIN PATCH cure peanut allergies?

October 27, 2016

Device tested by National Institutes of Health is showing promising results
After a year of clinical trials, 50% of peanut-allergic volunteers are cured
It is particularly effective in under 12-year-olds, researchers said

Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com

Published:
16:34 EST, 26 October 2016

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Updated:
07:31 EST, 27 October 2016

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A skin patch has been developed to treat peanut allergies.

The device, being tested by the National Institutes of Health, delivers small amounts of peanut protein through the skin to build up sufferers’ immunity.

After a year of clinical trials – which are ongoing – researchers say the results are astonishingly positive, particularly in children under 12 years old.

Experts have hailed the patches as safe and easy to use, paving the way for a cure for the common and potentially life-threatening allergy.

The device, being tested by the National Institutes of Health, delivers small amounts of peanut protein through the skin to build up sufferers’ immunity

‘The clinical benefit seen in younger children highlights the promise of this innovative approach to treating peanut allergy,’ said Dr Daniel Rotrosen, director of NIAID’s Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation.

The trial has taken place in five study sites across the United States.

Researchers randomly assigned 74 peanut-allergic volunteers – aged between four and 25 years old – to either a high-dose (250 micrograms peanut protein), low-dose (100 micrograms peanut protein), or placebo patch.

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The patches were developed and provided by the biopharmaceutical company DBV Technologies under the trade name Viaskin.

Each day, study participants applied a new patch to their arm or between their shoulder blades.

At the beginning of the study, each volunteer was asked to try some food with a bit of peanut in it, while being monitored by the researchers.

After one year, each volunteer had to try the same challenge – this time with at least 10 times more peanut protein than they were able to consume before starting the trial.

The effects were significant.

Forty-eight per cent of the high-dose group were treated, as were 46 per cent of the low-dose group.

At the beginning of the study, each volunteer had to try some food with a bit of peanut in it. After a year they tried 10 times more. Forty-eight per cent of the high-dose group were cured

Perhaps surprisingly, 12 per cent of the placebo group were also cured – likely due to exposure to eating peanuts.

The treatment effects were far more effective among children aged between four and 11 years old, compared to participants aged 12 years and older.

Wider studies with more children will be needed before the patch can be approved.

But researchers are excited about the progress.

‘The high adherence to the daily peanut patch regimen suggests that the patch is easy-to-use, convenient and safe,’ said Marshall Plaut, chief of DAIT’s Food Allergy, Atopic Dermatitis and Allergic Mechanisms Section.

‘The results of this study support further investigation of epicutaneous immunotherapy as a novel approach for peanut allergy treatment.’