Peanut allergy is a common disease in children. In Europe, about 0.4% of children and adolescents are allergic to peanuts, in Australia, about 3%. If in 1997 only one out of 250 American children was sick, in 2008, one out of 70 children. Over the past 3 years, significant advances have been made in understanding the development of peanut allergies. Scientists have developed a drug that can partially or completely cure the disease.
Allergy Powder
AR101 is a newly developed drug that is taken daily with peanuts.
The study involved 496 children with a peanut allergy.
The age of the participants ranged from 4 to 17 years. Each was assigned either to the group receiving the drug or to the placebo group.
Patients initially received large doses of the corresponding product for approximately 6 months. Then they ate 6 months of AR101 and 300 mg of peanut protein. At the beginning and at the end of the study, an allergic reaction was tested among all participants using peanuts.
A sharp decrease in an allergic reaction
The results are very promising. Through treatment with AR101, a so-called “immunomodulatory effect” can be achieved in participants. This means that the reaction threshold for allergic symptoms increases after eating peanuts. The severity of symptoms is also significantly reduced.
At the end of the study, 67% of the participants who received the drug daily transferred peanut protein. In the placebo group, only 4% were able to digest peanuts normally. Half of the AR101 group tolerated the highest tested dose of 3 to 4 peanuts — compared to 2% in the placebo group.
Prior to treatment, no study participant could tolerate more than 30 milligrams of peanut protein. It was noted that treatment with AR101 resulted in less adrenaline.
Side effects were minor during treatment.
14% of participants who received the drug suffered from systemic allergic side effects. And almost all of these reactions have been classified as mild or moderate.
A big step towards a successful allergy treatment
The main result of the study: oral immunotherapy AR101, apparently, significantly reduces the frequency and severity of the allergic reaction to peanuts.
The results are a big step towards an approved treatment option for the disease.
The drug is currently scheduled for delivery to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at the end of 2018. Submission to the European Commission (EMA) will be carried out in the first half of 2019. If approved by the FDA and EMA, the drug will go on sale by 2020.
German study shows similar results
In 2017, a German multicenter study of oral immunotherapy was conducted in 62 children with a peanut allergy. The trial was led by Professor and MD Beyer. The study was published in the journal Allergy and Clinical Immunology. It shows results very similar to American experiments.
A German study also showed an improvement in quality of life after oral immunotherapy.
Eating AR101 can be a truly new therapeutic option for peanut allergy sufferers.
If approved by the FDA and EMA, the first drug will be available for this group of patients. A drug can reduce allergies and improve people's quality of life.
Of course, there are still questions that need to be clarified in long-term research. For example, it is unclear whether this drug should be taken daily throughout life. It is also unknown whether allergies can be completely eliminated for many years.
In Germany, two centers were also involved that investigated the new drug. Scientists have come to similar conclusions. If it is possible to reduce the intensity of the allergy, then the risk of allergic shock in case of accidental consumption of peanuts will be much less.
Most clinical trials of the new AR101 will end by 2019.
