Peanut Allergy Patch In Clinical Trails

A new experimental peanut allergy patch, called Viaskin Peanut, is currently undergoing clinical trial testing with human subjects. If a success, the patch could make the dangerous peanut allergy a thing of the past.

According to CBS News, doctors from 24 hospitals worldwide are testing an experimental patch that periodically exposes a wearer to minuscule amounts of the peanut protein through their skin. This way, over a long time, a patch wearer can develop a resistance that makes their sensitivity to peanuts less severe.

This technique of slow exposure to build resistance to an allergic reaction is nothing new. Allergy shots have been around for decades and involve allergy sufferers receiving daily to bi-weekly diluted amounts of an allergen in a series of injections. Over time, the patient builds a tolerance for the allergen's reaction.

Still, most peanut allergies are too severe for such a direct form of delivery, and so the allergy could never be treated with shots. The patch however, delivers such tiny amounts of the allergen at a time that it should prove safe even for the most sensitive of peanut allergies.

Unlike many other common allergies, the peanut allergy has always been notorious for immense sensitivity and potentially fatal reactions. Most reactions include a severe swelling of the throat and eyes which can lead to difficulty breathing. Because of this, most U.S. public schools have accommodations in place to protect children with peanut allergies, including separate lunch tables and peanut-oil free food preparation. Food packaging in the U.S. is required to indicate if their product contains peanuts or peanut oil as well.

According to the developer of the patch, DBV Technologies, if the clinical trials are a success, the peanut allergy patch will be the first marketable desensitization treatment ever developed for food allergies.

As the patch is still only in its second run of clinical trials, it will be a long time before the treatment can become available to the public. Still, news of the patch alone is bound to give countless peanut allergy sufferers something to look forward to.

You can find out more about peanut allergies and the patch by visiting the Viaskin product's web page.