Peanut allergy progress

A NEW treatment could prevent serious allergic reactions to peanuts, experts have revealed.

Daily exposure to tiny traces of peanut powder can help kids build up a tolerance, a year- long study found.

Millions of kids across the world are allergic to peanuts, with even the tiniest traces triggering life- threatening reactions for some.

Aimmune Therapeutics in California hopes its new treatment will be approved to use in the US later this year, and in Europe next year.

But, doctors have warned the therapy is not safe to try at home.

Experiments showed 67 per cent of children who had the experimental capsule therapy could tolerate the equivalent of two peanuts by the end of the study.

That was compared to just four per cent given a placebo powder.

Stacie Jones, an allergy specialist at the University of Arkansas, who helped lead the study, warned: “It’s potentially dangerous. This is investigational.”

Dr Jones added the tests had to be performed in a “very safe setting”, in case a child did suffer a severe reaction and needed immediate treatment.

The new therapy does not mean allergic children could enjoy peanuts like those with no allergy, Dr Andrew Bird, an allergy specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who helped with the study, added.

But past studies have shown being able to tolerate at least one peanut should protect 95 per cent of sufferers from having a reaction if they’re exposed to peanuts.