The first clinical trial to test whether adults allergic to peanuts can be desensitised has shown great success with two thirds of the cohort consuming the equivalent of five peanuts without reacting.
The Grown Up Peanut Immunotherapy (GUPI) trial is the first study entirely in adults with severe allergy to test whether daily doses of peanuts taken under strict supervision can be safely tolerated.
The approach, known as oral immunotherapy, has seen success in trials in infants and children worldwide. The findings of the first trial in an exclusive adult cohort has been published today in the journal Allergy by a research team from King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. The study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit Programme.
Results showed that 67% of participants were able to consume at least 1.4 g peanut protein – the equivalent of five peanuts – without reacting. Participants of the trial then could consume peanuts every day at home to remain desensitised.
