Breakthrough in treatment for peanut allergy

August 17, 2017  21:48

Children with peanut allergies could finally overcome the life-threatening reaction for up to four years, Australian researchers say.

The research, published Wednesday in medical journal The Lancet, found that four years on, about 70 percent could still eat peanuts without an adverse reaction.

A small clinical trial conducted at Murdoch Children's Research Institute helped two-thirds of children rid of their allergy to peanuts through experimental immunotherapy.

"These findings suggest our treatment is effective in inducing long-term tolerance, up to four years after completing treatment and is safe", Tang told Australian mediay.

Tang said the injection regime works by changing how the body reacts to an allergen.

"Ours is the first study to show prolonged eight-week sustained unresponsiveness several years after treatment has ceased and suggests the possibility that tolerance is a realistic target for food allergy treatments".

ABC reports 10-year-old Olivia May was one of the children taking part in the study, with her mum Tanya explaining how there's no longer the anxiety or worry of her daughter suffering from an allergic reaction.

Peanuts are one of the most common foods to cause anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction.

This formula is created to reprogramme the response of immune system to peanuts and develop tolerance.

It's thought combining probiotics with the immunotherapy gives the immune system the "nudge" it needs, Prof Tang said.

Results saw 82 percent of the children who had been given the probiotic and peanut protein found to be tolerant to peanuts.

A total of 48 children were enrolled in the PPOIT trial and were randomly given either a combination of the probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, together with peanut protein in increasing amounts, or a placebo, once daily for 18 months.

"Of the PPOIT-treated participants who achieved short term tolerance at the end of the original trial, 80 per cent were still eating peanut and 70 per cent had long-lasting challenge-proven tolerance four years after stopping treatment".

Researchers are now aiming to confirm the results with a larger study of the treatment they say "holds important implications for attacking the modern food allergy epidemic".

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