The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given its approval for the first drug used in the treatment of peanut allergy in children.
The FDA approved the drug AR101, also known as Palforzia, which uses oral immunotherapy for children with peanut allergy. The treatment involves giving small but increasing amounts of peanut protein to children over a six-month period under medical supervision.
After completing the therapy, patients need to continue taking a daily dose to be able to tolerate accidental exposure. The manufacturer, Aimmune Therapeutics, warns that the treatment is not a cure and that the risk of a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction remains.
Patients are advised to continue avoiding peanuts in their diet.
In the US, peanuts are the most common food allergen with an increase in the number of those affected by food allergies in recent decades. While there have been clinical trials conducted in the US and other countries to desensitize patients with peanut allergies, this was the first to be approved by the FDA.
Palforzia, which comes in the form of a powder, has been approved for use in patients aged between four and 17 and is ingested by sprinkling it on food.
In 2019, researchers at King's College London found that treating peanut allergy with regular exposure to small amounts of the food is effective but only if a patient stays on the therapy.
They pointed out that immunotherapy offers "protection but not a cure" for peanut allergies.
Lead researcher Dr. Alexandra Santos said: "Definitive treatments for peanut and other food allergies are highly needed. Currently, immunotherapy is the only treatment option we can offer peanut allergic patients."
She added: "The question was whether the immunotherapy could switch off the allergic response. Some patients and parents hoped they would be able to eat the food but this will only be able to give them protection against accidental exposure."
