"Skin Patch Offers Hope For People With Peanut Allergy" - Sally Robertson
A patch that delivers peanut protein via the skin reduced peanut allergy among adults and children, a finding that warrants further investigation in a phase 3 trial. Allergy immunotherapy delivers a controlled dose of protein known to induce allergy, so that the body gradually becomes acclimatized and therefore less sensitive to the protein. Researchers think that using a skin patch to deliver the protein may be more safe and effective than using a pill, which carries the risk of triggering allergy, just as eating a peanut would. For the trial, Hugh Sampson, MD, professor of pediatrics, allergy and immunology, dean of translational biomedical research and director of the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and his colleagues randomly assigned 221 participants who were allergic to peanut wear a Viaskin peanut patch. Participants were considered as having responded to the treatment if they could tolerate ten times the amount of peanuts they could tolerate prior to the treatment. Experts have referred to the findings as evidence of real hope for people who must continuously watch what they eat in case they consume peanut protein, exposure to which can trigger reactions ranging from a mild rash through to anaphylactic shock.
- Hugh Sampson, MD, Professor, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Dean, Translational Biomedical Research, Director, Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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