THURSDAY, May 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A "peanut patch" applied to the skin may help protect teens with a life-threatening peanut allergy, according to a new clinical study.
The patch is an immunosuppressant, which means that children with a peanut allergy are exposed to a small amount of peanut protein for a long time, with the aim of training their immune systems to tolerate it better.
In tests, the researchers found that two-thirds of adolescents who were given one peanut a day for a year had significantly reduced sensitivity to peanut protein compared with those who were given two to four peanuts. allergic subjects. Answer
While it may sound like a peanut, experts say tolerance levels are important.
The doctor said the goal of immunotherapy is to prevent a serious reaction if a child accidentally ingests a small amount of peanuts. Alexis Togias of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
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"This is a positive study," said Togias, who wrote an editorial with the findings published May 10 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The patch tested in the trial, called Vyskin, was developed by DVB Technologies, a French biotech company that funded the study. It has not yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
If accepted, "I think it's just good," Togias said.
About 2 percent of American children have a peanut allergy, and most remain allergic well into adulthood. This makes it the most common food allergy in children and the third most common in adults, according to the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) organization.
People with a peanut allergy can experience a reaction, sometimes severe, to eating small amounts of food, often hidden in processed or prepared foods. Therefore, they (or their parents) should read food labels carefully and take other precautions to avoid exposure to peanuts.
But it's not easy, says Togias, and accidents happen.
As for treatment, there is an oral immunotherapy called Palforzia that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of peanut allergy. It is a peanut powder product that can be mixed with foods such as applesauce. But only children aged 4 and over are allowed.
he said. Matthew Greenhout, principal investigator of the new experiment.
Oral immunotherapy is being studied for children with peanut allergy. But Greenhout said it's always good to have a few options on the table.
"What works for one family may not work for another," she said.
Additionally, the patch may have fewer side effects, says Greenhout, MD, a professor of pediatrics at Children's Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado School of Medicine.
The skin is the largest part of the immune system, Plaster says, so he "uses it." This means that lower doses of peanut protein can be used, which helps avoid the systemic side effects that sometimes occur with oral immunosuppressive therapy, such as stomach pain, throat irritation and shortness of breath.
Such problems rarely occur with a patch, said Greenhot, medical consultant at DBV Technologies.
The study included 362 adolescents aged 1 to 3 who were randomly assigned to either a peanut patch or a placebo (no activity) for 1 year. Overall, 67 percent of the children in the actual treatment met the trial's ultimate goal: Their immune systems were boosted without an allergic reaction when they ate one to four peanuts.
This compared with 33% of children in the placebo group.
Rash is the most common side effect of the peanut patch, with less than 2% of adolescents experiencing systemic symptoms classified as "mild to moderate."
How about peanut powder?
It's hard to judge, Togias said, because no court has ever compared the methods head-to-head.
But according to a study published last year that tested oral immunotherapy for 1- to 3-year-old children with peanut allergy. The results indicate that oral administration of Togias has a greater effect on suppressing the immune system.
On the other hand, skin tightening can be more reliable.
The biggest question about immunotherapy for peanut allergy, Togias says, is whether there is a tipping point. Palforzia is taken daily indefinitely to maintain the immune system's tolerance to peanuts.
Greenhaut said the peanut patch is also intended for everyday use, and the studies so far (including older children) have followed patients for three years.
Jennifer Buford, vice president of clinical operations at Fare, agrees that multiple vaccinations benefit families.
Buford also noted that many people with a peanut allergy are also allergic to other foods. "It will be interesting to see if epidermal desensitization can be found for other common food allergens," she said.
Despite the positive medical news, Togias made another point: Peanut allergies can be prevented by introducing peanut products into children's diets after they start eating solid foods.
There's more to peanut allergy.
SOURCES: Matthew Greenhot, MD, MBA, MSc, professor of pediatrics, division of allergy and immunology, Colorado Children's Hospital, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora; Alexis Togias, MD, chief, division of allergies, asthma and respiratory biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland; Jennifer Buford, MA, vice president of clinical operations, food allergy research and education, McLean, VA; New England Journal of Medicine, May 11, 2023