French developer of ‘peanut allergy patch’ makes U.S. debut

New and exciting technology for individuals with peanut allergies may be introduced by 2017. The French biotech company, DBV Technologies, has created an immunotherapy patch for patients with potentially fatal peanut allergies. Their product, called ‘Viaskin Peanut’, recently finished mid-stage clinical trials and works by releasing small amounts of peanut allergen to the outer skin where it can stimulate the immune system without getting into the patient’s bloodstream. There are no FDA-approved immunotherapy patches on the market at this time, yet DBV has also developed patches for both dust mite and milk allergies.  In order to support further research for this product, the company made its debut on the U.S. stock market yesterday, October 22, and is listed under the Nasdaq. Funds should help finance Stage III clinical trials and are expected to start in early 2016. Since approximately 3 million people suffer from peanut allergies in the United States, this has potential to be beneficial for many people. Do you see this product becoming a practical and favorable treatment in your practice? What other innovations in immunotherapy would you like to see?

 

For additional information, go to Reuters.

 

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Oral immunotherapy for the treatment of peanut allergy in children

A randomized controlled crossover trial recently published in the Lancet assessed the use of oral immunotherapy (OIT) for the treatment of peanut allergy in children 7 to 16 years of age. Participants were given peanut protein in increasing doses of 2-800 mg daily for 6 months. At the end of the study, researchers found that the participants who had undergone OIT had a median increase in peanut tolerance of 1345 mg. 54% tolerated 1400 mg (around ten peanuts) and 91% tolerated 800 mg of peanut protein. How often does oral immunotherapy come up in discussions with your patients? How comfortable are you discussing questions related to food allergies?

For additional information, please click The Lancet.

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