In a recent late-stage clinical trial, an experimental skin patch called Viaskin showed promising results for helping to ease peanut allergy reactions in toddlers. The trial involved 362 children from eight different countries, with 244 being randomly assigned to wear the Viaskin patch between their shoulder blades for a year. The study found that about 67% of the toddlers who wore the patch were able to safely ingest more peanut protein than they could at the beginning of the trial.
This is great news for the estimated 1 million children in the US who suffer from peanut allergies, as there is currently no approved treatment for those under the age of 4. Additionally, only 1 in 5 children will outgrow the condition, making it a lifelong burden for many. The standard approach for managing the allergy has been to avoid peanut-based products, but accidental exposures are common in settings where food and children are present, such as schools and playdates.
The Viaskin patch offers a potential solution to this problem, as it allows children to build up a tolerance to peanuts over time. While anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction that can cause difficulty breathing, did occur in about 7.8% of patients who wore the patch, only four of those reactions were deemed related to the treatment.
The positive trial results are a bright spot for drugmaker DBV Technologies SA, which had previously seen about half of its market value wiped out in 2017 after earlier trial failures. Investors had been questioning the patch's future, but the recent success has caused the company's Paris-traded shares to rise by 9.8%.
While Nestlé SA's Palforzia was approved by US regulators in 2020 to help ease allergic reactions to peanuts in patients ages 4 to 17, the drug proved to be a costly bet for the food company, which purchased Palforzia's maker, Aimmune Therapeutics, for $2.6 billion in 2020. Two years later, Nestlé launched a strategic review of the product due to insufficient uptake and is now working to offload the peanut pill.
Overall, the Viaskin patch offers hope for a much-needed treatment option for toddlers with peanut allergies, and parents and caregivers are eagerly awaiting FDA-approved options for this age group.