revolution new skin patch cure of deadly peanut allergy

Paediatricians have developed a revolutionary skin patch that may cure thousands of people suffering from deadly peanut allergies. Researchers believe it presents one of the best possible ways of treating a life-threatening reaction to peanuts. The device, which has been developed by two leading French paediatricians releases minute doses of peanut oil under the skin. The aim is to educate the body so it does not over-react to peanut exposure. Human safety trials have started in Europe and the United States and it is hoped the patch could become become available within three to four years. One of it's inventors Dr Pierre-Henri Benhamou a senior consultant at Saint-Vincent de Paul hospital in Paris said: 'We envisage that the patch would be worn daily for several years and would slowly reduce the severity of accidental exposure to peanuts. 'The beauty of the patch is that it is absorbed just under the skin and is taken up by the immune system. 'But because it doesn't go directly into the bloodstream there is no risk of a severe reaction. 'We have carried out a number of small safety trials and now moving to trials that will establish the size of the dose needed and for how long the patch would need to be worn.' Dr Benhamou and his colleague Professor, Christophe Dupont have already established that the patch can tackle milk allergy which also affects hundreds of people. They believe that after about a year of wearing the patch patients may be cured of a severe reaction to peanut. But it would need to be worn for several more years before a nut allergy sufferer could safely be exposed to peanut. Mr Benhamou said: 'At best we are talking about a sufferer eventually being able to eat modest amounts of peanut without a reaction. 'But what we want to do most is to eliminate the severe reaction that occurs when people are exposed to the tiniest speck of peanut.' Patients with allergy to peanuts are normally so allergic that routine methods used to treat other allergies, such as hay fever, are far too dangerous. Around 500,000 children and adults run the daily risk of death from contact with peanuts. It is caused by a faulty immune system which causes the body to over-react to what it believes is a threat. Sufferers have been killed by the tiniest of exposure to nut oil that has got into food such as bread. Even the tiniest amount of peanut can trigger a dangerous reaction known as anaphylactic shock,resulting in inflammation of the airways that causes breathing to stop. Around a dozen children and adults die each year from anaphylactic shock with many more surviving the experience. Thousands of people carry injection devices known as Epi-pens that can deliver life saving adrenalin should they accidentally ingest peanut. Novelist, Polly Williams' son, Jago, four, is among the one child in fifty who is severely allergic to peanuts. He is under the care of one of the top allergy units in the world at St Mary''s Hospital in Paddington, west London. His mum from London carries an Epi-pen at all times. Jago is so severely allergic to peanut that even peanut oil on his skin can provoke a bad reaction. A kiss from a relative who had eaten peanuts earlier the same day provoked itching skin, runny eyes and wheezing in the youngster. Professor Gideon Lack of St Mary's, one of the UK's leading nut allergy experts is advising DBV Technologies, the company developing the peanut allergy patch. He said: 'It is a clever approach to dealing with the problem and there is a reasonable prospect of success. 'At present thousands of lives are blighted by the daily fear that accidental exposure could prove fatal. It puts an intolerable strain on families. 'It would be fantastic if we reached the stage that previously severely allergic patients could tolerate eating peanut. 'But I reckon most parents with allergic children would just settle for knowing that exposure to small amounts of protein would no longer be life threatening.' Professor Lack has been involved in ground-breaking trials to see if early childhood exposure to peanut, could reduce the risk. Evidence from countries such as Israel, suggests that toddlers exposed to peanuts in the first few years of life are less likely to become allergic.