Skin Patch to Treat Toddlers with Peanut Allergies Shows Promise Free Summer Lunch Programs for Kids

Peanut allergy is one of the most common and dangerous food allergies. Parents of allergic tots are constantly on guard against exposures that can turn birthday parties and play dates into emergency room visits.

Right now, there is no cure. The only treatment is for children 4 and older who can consume a special peanut powder to protect against a severe reaction.

However, scientists are getting one step closer to having a solution for peanut allergy with the development of a peanut skin patch that helps children safely tolerate exposure to a small amount of the nuts.

The patch, named Viaskin, aims to deliver treatment through the skin. In a major test with youngsters ages 1 to 3, it helped those who couldn’t tolerate even a small fraction of a peanut to eventually safely eat a few, researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

If additional testing pans out, “this would fill a huge unmet need,” said Dr. Matthew Greenhawt, an allergist at Children’s Hospital Colorado who helped lead the study.

About 2% of U.S. children are allergic to peanuts, some so severely that even a tiny amount can cause a life-threatening reaction. Their immune system overreacts to peanut-containing foods, triggering an inflammatory cascade that causes hives, wheezing, or worse. Research shows that only about 20% of children with peanut allergy will eventually outgrow it, but most must avoid peanuts for life and carry rescue medicine to stave off a severe reaction if they accidentally ingest some.

In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first treatment to induce tolerance to peanuts – an “oral immunotherapy” named Palforzia that children age 4 to 17 consume daily to keep up the protection. Aimmune Therapeutics' Palforzia also is being tested in toddlers.

France’s DBV Technologies is pursuing skin-based immunotherapy as an alternative way to desensitize the body to allergens.

The Viaskin patch is coated with a small amount of peanut protein that is absorbed into the skin. A daily patch is worn between the shoulder blades, where toddlers can’t pull it off.

In the new study, 362 toddlers with peanut allergy first were tested to see how high a dose of peanut protein they could tolerate. Then, they were randomly assigned to use the Viaskin patch or a lookalike dummy patch every day.

After a year of treatment, they were tested again, and about two-thirds of the toddlers who used the real patch could safely ingest more peanuts, the equivalent of three to four, researchers concluded.

That compares to about a third of youngsters given the dummy patches. Greenhawt said they likely include children who are outgrowing the allergy.

As for safety, four Viaskin recipients experienced an allergic reaction called anaphylaxis that was deemed related to the patch. Three were treated with epinephrine to calm the reaction, and one dropped out of the study.

Some youngsters also accidentally ate peanut-containing foods during the study, and researchers said allergic reactions were less frequent among the Viaskin users than those wearing the dummy patches. The most common side effect was skin irritation at the patch site.

The results “are very good news for toddlers and their families as the next step toward a future with more treatments for food allergies,” Dr. Alkis Togias of the National Institutes of Health, which wasn’t involved with the study, wrote in an accompanying editorial.

Togias cautioned that it’s too early to compare oral and skin treatments, but pointed to data suggesting each might have different pros and cons — raising the possibility that oral therapy might be stronger but also cause more side effects.

DBV Technologies has struggled for several years to bring the peanut patch to market. Last month the company announced the FDA wants some additional safety data for toddlers, and a separate study already is tracking longer treatment. A study of 4- to 7-year-olds also is underway. j abcnews.go.com yahoo.com

Free Summer Lunch at The Library

June 5 – August 4

To help ensure that kids don't go hungry while school is out of session, free and nutritious meals will be available for children and teens (18 and younger) at several Jacksonville Public Library locations starting June 5, 2023. No signup or application is necessary. Any child 18 or younger can simply show up at the library during mealtimes (Monday – Friday) to receive a free and healthy meal. Each meal includes protein, fruit or veggie, and a drink. Meals will not be provided on Monday, June 19, and Tuesday, July 4.

Monday – Friday, 11am to 12noon: Charles Webb Wesconnett Regional Library, 6887 103rd St Highlands Regional Library, 1826 Dunn Ave Pablo Creek Regional Library, 13295 Beach Blvd

Monday – Friday, 12noon to 1pm: Dallas Graham Branch Library, 2304 Myrtle Ave N University Park Branch Library, 3435 University Blvd N

Monday – Friday, 12:45pm to 1:45pm: Bill Brinton Murray Hill Branch Library, 918 Edgewood Ave S

Bradham and Brooks Branch Library, 1755 Edgewood Ave W

Regency Square Branch Library, 9900 Regency Square Blvd

Jacksonville Public Library / 904-255-2665 / jaxpubliclibrary.org

Clay County Summer Free Lunch Program for Kids • June 6 – July 22

Clay County Libraries is partnering with the Clay County District Schools and the FDA to provide meals for students this summer. On designated days between June 6 and July 22, all children between the ages of 0 and 18 can receive a free lunch. Every Tuesday and Thursday, lunches will be available at the Orange Park Library. On Mondays and Wednesdays, free lunches will be available at the Middleburg-Clay Hill Library. Lunch must be eaten on-site.

Clay County Public Libraries / 904-278-3614 ext 2248 / www.claycountygov.com

Orange Park Library / 2054 Plainfield Ave, Orange Park, FL 32073

Middleburg-Clay Hill Library / 2245 Aster Ave, Middleburg, FL 32068