The Viaskin® Peanut allergy patch recently received FDA “Fast Track” designation following encouraging safety test results. If it is FDA approved following additional testing, Viaskin Peanut will be the first skin patch intended to treat peanut allergies.
The product, developed by DBV Technologies in France, is designed for Epicutaneous Immunotherapy (EPIT) of patients with peanut allergies. The company wrote toBusiness Wire“We are extremely encouraged by the FDA’s decision to fast-track the clinical development program of Viaskin® Peanut. This decision means that Viaskin® Peanut is recognized as a specific and unique allergen product with a breakthrough potential to safely treat patients with peanut allergy.”
The Viaskin Peanut allergy patch administers allergens through the skin in order to improve the patient’s tolerance of peanuts, thereby lowering the risk of an allergic reaction. “Because there are no known treatments for food allergies, many patients and their families live with the constant fear of ingesting a life-threatening food” notes DBV Technologies Chairman and CEO Pierre-Henri Benhamou, M.D.
The next step is a clinical study to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the peanut patch. If the product is able to desensitize peanut-allergic patients, it may receive FDA approval, becoming available to U.S. patients with peanut allergies. The company also hopes to use the same method to develop allergy patches for the treatment of milk allergies and dust mite allergies.