New Treatment for Peanut Allergies Shows Promise

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A new treatment for peanut allergies is showing promising results. 

The treatment has helped two-thirds of the children who participated in the study eat at least two peanuts with no ill-effects. While that may not sound like much, it could potentially let kids with the debilitating allergy not have to worry about occasional exposure to peanuts. 

The details of the months-long treatment program were published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

The study, carried out at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, gradually exposed allergy sufferers to increasing amounts of a peanut powder. Some participants experienced stomach cramps and other allergy symptoms during the treatment, but their tolerance was eventually increased. 

The treatment is currently awaiting FDA evaluation. 

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