A peanut allergy cure may be on the horizon after a new treatment showed promising effects during clinic trials at Australia's Murdoch Children's Research Institute, researchers there said on Wednesday.
The study, which was published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, followed up on 2013 research to see if children who received a probiotic and peanut oral immunotherapy treatment remained tolerant to peanuts four years later.
In the 2013 trial, 82 percent of children who received the probiotic and peanut oral immunotherapy were deemed tolerant to peanuts and went home eating peanuts.
In the follow up trial, the 80 percent of children were deemed tolerant continued to eat peanuts as part of their normal diet and with 70 percent passing a further challenge test confirming long-term tolerance to peanuts.
"These children had been eating peanut freely in their diet without having to follow any particular program of peanut intake in the years after treatment was completed," said Mimi Tang, who led the research. "Over half were consuming moderate to large amounts of peanut on a regular basis, others were only eating peanut infrequently.”
"The importance of this finding is that these children were able to eat peanut like children who don't have peanut allergy and still maintain their tolerant state, protected against reactions to peanut. We are now examining whether these beneficial effects of our novel treatment have also resulted in improved quality of life."
The Independent said roughly one per cent of the world's population suffers from peanut allergy, which is also one of the planet's most severe food allergies, commonly associated with anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction.
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, less severe symptoms from peanut allergies include itchy skin or hives, which can appear as small spots or large welts; an itching or tingling sensation in or around the mouth or throat; nausea; and a runny or congested nose.
The Murdoch institute said the treatment must still be confirmed by a larger phase III study.
Biotech company Prota Therapeutics was jointly put together by the institute and the capital investment firm OneVentures to move the treatment toward approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.