“The results of this clinical trial are very promising for young children with peanut allergy. This therapy has the potential to give new hope to families with toddlers who currently have no approved treatment options” says Dr. Stanley Fineman, an allergist with Atlanta Allergy & Asthma and one of the physicians who oversees clinical trials at his practice.

The children in the study wore the patches between their shoulder blades for a year before undergoing screening for peanut challenges.

After 12 months, two-thirds of the children who used the Viaskin patch and one-third of the placebo group had met the trial’s primary endpoint. Children with a less sensitive allergy could safely tolerate peanut protein equivalent to consuming three or four peanuts, and children who were more sensitive could tolerate the equivalent of consuming one peanut.

“There are some limitations with this study, so more research is needed,” Dr. Fineman explains. “In fact, the Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Research Department is currently participating in a clinical trial using this peanut patch for children 4-7 years old with peanut allergy. We are recruiting participants for this trial right now. You do not have to be a patient of Atlanta Allergy to participate.”

The only FDA approved therapy available for children with peanut allergy today is an oral treatment called Palforzia, approved for children aged 4-17. But no options are available for younger kids. Atlanta Allergy & Asthma offers Palforzia to peanut allergic children who meet the criteria, but this study is a positive step toward more approved therapies for all people with a food allergy.