According to new findings from a phase 2b clinical trial, juvenile peanut allergy patients achieved clinical remission after receiving PRT120, experimental oral immunotherapy with a novel high dosage, rapid escalation dosing regimen.
The results of the placebo-controlled trial show PRT120’s efficacy in producing clinical remission of peanut allergy in children and improving patients’ quality of life. The experiment was meant to compare the efficacy of an oral immunotherapy provided using a patented, high dose, rapid dose escalation schedule against an oral immunotherapy delivered in the same manner but in combination with a probiotic.
“With the publication of these fantastic results, this is an exciting time for our firm,” stated Mimi Tang, PhD, FRACP, FAAAAI, CEO of Prota Therapeutics, in a press statement. “It is the first randomized controlled study of peanut oral immunotherapy to show high rates of sustained unresponsiveness in school-aged children, as well as the first to show that a peanut allergy treatment can provide substantial improvement in quality of life when compared to current standard care of peanut avoidance.”
The trial was carried out at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, Perth’s Children’s Hospital, and Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital. It included 201 children aged 1 to 10, and the research was conducted over four years, with participants being followed for up to 12 months after treatment.
Researchers emphasised in the news release that peanut allergy rates are rising, indicating the need for better therapies. According to the experts, around 1.1 million people between the ages of one and seventeen would be diagnosed in the United States alone in 2021.
After 18 months of treatment, the researchers discovered that 51% of subjects were no longer sensitive to peanuts. According to the study, this milestone permitted patients to discontinue medication and eat peanuts freely.
Importantly, allergy remission refers to the absence of clinical responsiveness when medication has been discontinued for an extended period of time. This is not the same as desensitisation, which is a temporary increase in the amount of allergen that generates a reaction in patients that can only be sustained with ongoing treatment. Desensitization protects against accidental allergy exposure, but patients must continue on daily treatment and avoid allergens strictly.
